THE  LIFE  OF 
KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

[OHN  SOBIESKI 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


!UriiiiVii;KoiTY  of  CALii'UKisiA 

LOS  ANGELES 
UBRARY 


JOHN   SOBIESKI  or  JOHN   HI 
KING   OF   POLAND 


THE  LIFE  OF 
KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

John  the  Third  of  Poland 

A   CHRISTIAN   KNIGHT 
THE   SAVIOR  OF  CHRISTENDOM 

BY 

COUNT  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

Author  of  A  Soldier  of  Freedom,  The  Adventures  of  a 

Polish  Nobleman  While  Fighting  Under  the 

Flag  of  Two  Republics,  and  The 

Life  of  President  Juarez. 


BOSTON:   RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

TORONTO:    THE   COPP  CLARK   CO.,    LIMITED 


145592 


Copyright,  1915,  by  John  Sobieski 


All  rights  reserved,  including  the  right  of 
translation  in  all  Foreign  Tongues. 


The  GoEHAat  Pbess,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


^31 


To 

THE  NOBLE  POLISH  PATRIOTS 

who    for    morp   than    a   Century   have   struggled, 

suffered    and    died    in    their    endeavor    to    regain 

their  lost  nation  and  restore  to  Poland  what  She 

was  in  the  days  of  the  Casmers,  and  the  Sobie- 

skis,  and  to  those  Noble  Patriots  who  will  finally 

BUccecd   in  their  patriotic  design  of   placing 

Poland  where  she  justly  belongs 

this  book  is  dedicated. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  seventeenth  century  was  one  of  the 
i^reat  centuries  of  the  world  aloufj;  all  lines 
of  human  activities.  In  art,  in  science 
and  in  religious  thought  there  was  more 
advancement  than  there  had  been  for  centuries  be- 
fore. The  Reformation  had  obtained  such  dimen- 
sions that  the  Roman  Catholic  Hierarchy  had  become 
acutely  aware  that  it  must,  henceforth,  fight  for  its 
existence.  The  Thirty  Years'  War  is  a  proof  of  this 
statement. 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  the  Snow  King,  of  Sweden, 
had  made  the  Catholic  Powers  tremble  by  his  won- 
derful victories  and  had  he  not  met  his  death  so  early, 
on  the  field  of  battle,  in  all  probability  the  reformed 
religion  would  have  advanced  to  the  front  immedi- 
ately and  have  become  the  dominant  faith  of  the 
Continent;  but  while  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
chiefs  were  fighting  terrific  battles  for  supremacy, 
there  suddenly  ap]>eared  a  mutual  enemy  which 
threatened  to  destroy  Christendom  itself,  for  it  had 
been  the  dream  of  each  successor  of  the  great 
Mohammed  that  the  Mohammedan  religion  should  lye- 
come  the  world's  universal  faith.  And  so,  in  compli- 
ance with  the  military  spirit  of  that  religion,  this 

V 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

desire  began  to  manifest  itself  very  early,  and  so, 
after  becoming  firmly  established  upon  the  Asiatic 
Continent,  the  Mohammedans  entered  Europe,  win- 
ning victory  after  victory  until  they  were  finally 
checked  by  Charles  Martel  at  Tours,  France,  in  the 
eighth  century;  but  they  were  only  checked,  for 
they  gathered  their  forces  and  were  not  long  in  con- 
quering the  fairest  portion  of  Europe. 

In  the  year  1453,  the  Greek,  or  Byzantine,  Em- 
pire fell  before  the  Mohammedans  and  they  captured 
Constantinople,  making  it  the  capital  of  their  Turk- 
ish or  Ottoman  Empire,  but  all  their  attempts  to  push 
farther  West  had  failed. 

But  the  seventeenth  century  seemed  to  be  their 
opportunity,  for  the  Christian  nations  had  become 
hopelessly  divided  into  bitter  antagonisms  between 
the  followers  of  the  Pope  of  Rome  and  the  followers 
of  Martin  Luther,  the  reformed  monk,  who  were 
fighting  bloody  battles  to  destroy  each  other. 

The  Sultan  of  Turkey  recognized  in  this  condi- 
tion of  affairs  in  Europe  a  long  cherished  opportu- 
nity and  began  making  preparations,  at  once,  for  the 
invasion  of  western  Europe.  It  was  then  that  the 
eastern  hordes  were  met  by  the  Grand  Marshal  of 
Poland  and  he  exhibited  such  military  genius  as 
had  never  been  equalled,  nor  since  surpassed,  in  the 
world's  history.  Though  largely  outnumbered  in 
every  battle,  Sobieski's  victories  were  overwhelming 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

and  crushing  and  the  Turks  were  compelled  to  re- 
turn to  their  own  homes.  The  Grand  Marshal 
(John  Sobieski)  then  ascended  the  throne  of  Poland 
as  John  the  Third. 

In  the  spring  of  1683  the  King  of  Poland  was  re- 
ported to  be  suffering  from  an  incurable  disease 
which  would  prevent  him  ever  taking  to  the  field 
of  battle  again  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and,  as 
cited  above,  the  Christian  nations  were  at  swords 
points.  To  make  matters  still  more  serious,  Hun- 
garia,  suifering  from  the  oppression  of  Austria,  stood 
ready  to  furnish  fifty  thousand  of  its  best  troops 
(in  order  to  avenge  herself)  to  assist  the  Porte  in  his 
operations  against  Austria,  so  that  a  very  great  army 
was  assembled,  and  marched  triumphantly  to  the 
very  gates  of  Vienna  and  the  Porte  laid  siege  to  that 
city,  and  in  the  very  hour  when  victory  seemed  sure, 
Sobieski  suddenly  appeared  with  an  army  of  only 
seventy  thousand  men  and  struck  the  Turks  like  a 
whirlwind.  The  Turks  were  so  dumbfounded  and 
bewildered  by  his  sudden  movement  that  they  fled, 
panic-stricken,  so  that  the  proud,  exultant  foe  was 
scattered  to  the  winds,  leaving  behind  them  all  of 
their  war  materials,  and  never  stopping  until  they 
had  reached  the  borders  of  Ilungaria.  Thus  ended 
forever  the  Mohammedan  Power  as  a  military  force. 

This  defeat  was  so  final  that  it  was  the  very  end 
of  the  Oriental  dream  of  supremacy  in  Europe,  and 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

by  this  victory  Sobieski's  name  stands  with  the  high- 
est in  military  annals.  His  ability  certainly  ex- 
ceeded Marlborough  of  England,  Frederick  of 
Prussia,  and  was  only  equaled  by  Napoleon,  never 
excelled,  for  he  never  was  defeated  in  any  great  bat- 
tle. 

The  purpose  of  this  volume  is  to  introduce  this 
great  Christian  warrior  and  king  more  thoroughly 
to  the  English-speaking  world,  that  he  may  be  known 
and  appreciated  as  the  great  ruler  who,  more  than 
any  other,  saved  Europe  to  Christian  civilization. 

John  Sobieski. 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
February,   1915. 


THE  LIFE  OF  KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 


THE  LIFE  OF  KING 
JOHN  SOBIESKI 


CHAPTER  I 

IN  the  year  sixteen  twenty-nine  (1629),  when 
Sigismund  the  Third  reigned  in  Poland,  Louis 
the  Thirteenth  in  France,  Charles  the  First  in 
England,  and  the  Snow  King,  so  called  in  his- 
tory, the  celebrated  Gustavus  Adolphus  in  Sweden, 
was  born  John  Sobieski  in  the  castle  of  Olensko,  a 
town  in  the  palatinate  of  Russia.  Sobieski  was 
descended  from  two  of  the  greatest  families  of  Po- 
land whose  origin  the  Polish  genealogists  have  placed 
far  back  in  the  obscure  ages  of  antiquity.  It  is  a 
truth  of  greater,  or  much  easier  proved,  certainty 
that  these  families  were  renowned  for  their  virtue 
and  patriotism. 

The  renowned  Zolkiewski,  grandfather  of  Sobieski 
on  the  mother's  side,  defeated  the  Muscovites  in 
1610,  and  the  Czar  was  made  a  prisoner  and  was 
brought  to  the  capital  of  Cracow.  Monuments  of 
this  victory  are  still  seen  upon  the  ceilings  of  the 

castle   at   Wai'saw.     When   Czar  Peter   was   called 

1 


2  THE  LIFE  OF 

into  Poland  to  defend  King  Augustus  against  Charles 
the  Twelfth,  the  Czar  thought  proper  to  destroy 
them,  but  the  testimony  of  time  cannot  be  suppressed. 
In  the  year  1620  Zolkiewski  forced  his  way  through 
a  hundred  thousand  Turks  and  Tartars,  who  sur- 
rounded him  in  Moldavia,  and  was  retreating  before 
this  great  host  which  pursued  and  harassed  him  dur- 
ing a  march  of  almost  a  hundred  leagTies.  Having 
reached  the  frontiers  of  Poland  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Niester,  his  cavalry,  now  completely  exhausted, 
was  apparently  looking  into  the  face  of  certain  de- 
struction, so  they  took  the  first  opportunity  of  escape, 
which  was  to  swim  across  the  river,  thus  deserting 
their  general  and  his  infantry.  Zolkiewski' s  son,  who 
was  with  him  in  the  army,  begged  him  to  consider 
his  own  safety,  but  he  replied  that  the  Republic  had 
entrusted  its  entire  army  to  him  and  he  could  not 
desert  it.  The  infantry  that  remained  was  utterly 
annihilated  before  his  eyes;  his  brave  son  expired 
in  his  sight.  He  himself  was  covered  with  wounds 
and  lived  but  a  short  time.  His  head  was  severed 
by  the  Turkish  general  and  sent  to  the  Sultan  to 
revive  the  spirits  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  but  was 
afterwards  redeemed  and  the  renowned  father  and 
son  buried  in  the  same  grave.  Upon  their  tomb  was 
this  inscription :  "  May  our  avenger  rise  out  of  our 
ashes." 

The  work  of  avenging  these  two  noble  souls  was 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  3 

reserved  for  one  Sobieski,  their  descendant  from 
the  female  line,  who  never  read  without  emotion  that 
inscription  which  exhorted  to  vengeance. 

John  Sobieski's  father's  father,  Mark  Sobieski, 
palatine  of  Lublin,  left  his  grandson  many  great 
exploits  to  copy.  Came  to  him  the  happy  event  of 
tlio  battle  in  which  Michael,  hospodar  of  Moldavia, 
was  defeated.  Also  he  had  his  grandfather's  ex- 
ample in  the  part  he  took  in  the  defeat  of  the  rebel- 
lious Dantzickers  in  1577,  when  he  threw  himself 
into  the  waters  of  the  Vistula  in  pursuit  of  their 
lender,  and  when  he  came  upon  him  slew  him  with 
his  own  hands  in  the  midst  of  the  river;  which  action 
was  performed  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  who 
declared  that  if  it  should  ever  be  necessary  to  risk 
the  fate  of  Poland  in  a  single  combat,  as  the  fortunes 
of  Rome  were  once  entrusted  to  Iloratius,  he  should 
not  for  a  single  moment  hesitate  to  choose  the  pala- 
tine of  Lublin  as  her  defender.  The  brave  palatine 
was  killed  at  the  attack  of  Sokol,  a  Russian  fortress, 
which  the  Poles  took  by  storm,  and  such  was  the 
grandfather  of  John  Sobieski  and  the  military  heri- 
tage ho  was  enriched  with. 

His  father,  James  Sobieski,  was  not  unworthy  of 
such  a  noble  sire,  as  subsequent  history  of  valorous 
deeds  tells  us.  One  of  the  most  glorious  victories  in 
all  the  annals  of  Poland  was  the  famous  battle  of 
Choczin,  in  1622,  in  which  the  young  Prince  Uladis- 


4  THE  LIFE  OF 

las,  son  of  King  Sigismund  III,  had  the  title  of 
commander-in-chief,  but  the  one  who  was  entitled  to 
the  glory  of  the  victory  was  James  Sobieski,  who 
had  taken  command  in  the  absence  of  the  Grand- 
General.  Two  hundred  thousand  Turks  and  Tartars 
Avere  defeated  in  that  battle  by  sixty-five  thousand 
Poles,  and  the  hero  of  the  day,  being  as  able  a  ne- 
gotiator or  diplomat  as  he  was  a  general  on  the  field, 
was  sent  by  the  King  as  his  ambassador  to  sign  the 
treaty  which  the  Porte  was  compelled  to  accept.  By 
his  (James  Sobieski's)  marriage  with  the  daughter 
of  the  great  Zolkiewski,  and  heiress  of  the  vast  estates 
in  the  possession  of  that  powerful  family,  palatinate 
of  Russia,  he  had  two  sons,  Mark  and  John,  whose 
education  he  considered  encumbered  upon  himself, 
and  held  definite  ideas  regarding  the  education  of 
young  people  which  were  not  shared  by  all  his  con- 
temporaries. He  instructed  them  in  the  principles 
of  justice,  beneficence  and  respect  for  the  established 
laws  of  the  land,  holding  that  a  knowledge  of  these 
things  was  as  important  as  a  knowledge  of  military 
tactics,  and  as  unsurpassed,  even,  by  military  glory 
in  which  each  and  every  one  hoped  to  shine.  He 
gradually  led  them  up  to  the  vital  interests  of  their 
native  land,  their  beloved  Poland,  and  instructed 
them  to  defend  these  interests  by  written  as  well  as 
spoken  words,  all  of  which  would  be  useless  under  an 
absolute  form  of  government  but  necessary  in  a  re- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  5 

public.  James  Sobieski  labored  to  instill  in  his  sons 
that  habit  of  application  which  he,  himself,  pos- 
sessed and  without  which  there  can  never  be  great 
men. 

The  eldest  son,  Mark,  was  of  mild  temper  and 
docile  disposition,  his  mother's  favorite,  and,  had  he 
lived,  would  have  been  compelled  to  occupy  a  sub- 
ordinate place  to  his  younger  brother,  John  Sobieski. 

John  Sobieski  was  of  a  lively,  ardent  and  impetu- 
ous temper,  with  great  executive  ability  and  will 
power,  determined  to  accomplish  that  which  he  un- 
dertook to  do.  If  there  were  in  existence  any  ade- 
quate history  of  his  childhood,  we  should,  undoubt- 
edly, be  able  to  discover  the  characteristics  which 
afterwards  made  him  the  gi-eatest  king  and  soldier 
of  his  day. 

There  is  one  characteristic  of  the  Polish  people 
which  has  existed  from  the  dawn  of  their  history 
and  that  is  that  a  Pole  does  not  believe  that  he  pos- 
sesses, exclusively,  everything  of  value  or  that  he 
can  learn  nothing  outside  his  own  country,  so  that 
the  Poles  stand  out  in  strong  contrast  to  other  na- 
tionalities of  that  day;  consequently,  to  receive  an 
education  that  should  be  complete  in  every  detail, 
the  two  sons,  Mark  and  John,  started  out  upon  ex- 
tensive travels  which  took  them  first  to  France,  for 
even  at  that  early  day  France,  in  matters  of  culture 
and  refinement,  stood  at  the  head  of  the  world.     The 


6  THE  LIFE  OF 

boys,  almost  young  men  now,  remained  in  France 
long  enough  to  become  thoroughly  versed  in  the 
language  of  that  country.  The  younger  brother  be- 
came such  a  master  of  languages,  eventually,  that 
he  spoke  six,  each  of  which  might  have  been  taken 
for  his  mother  tongue.  After  visiting  the  great  capi- 
tals of  Europe,  the  last  place  they  visited  was  Con- 
stantinople, that  they  might  become  better  acquainted 
with  that  power.  Little  did  the  Porte  imagine  that 
a  day  would  come  when  his  army  was  to  flee  before 
the  younger  of  these  brothers. 

Being  now  conversant  with  what  knowledge  they 
could  collect  in  Europe  and  in  Constantinople,  the 
gateway  to  Europe,  they  determined  to  penetrate 
into  Asia,  but  just  as  they  were  setting  forth  upon 
this  journey  they  learned  that  a  war  had  broken  out 
on  the  frontier  of  Poland.  They  returned  at  once 
to  tender  their  services  in  behalf  of  their  country 
but,  alas,  they  had  not  the  satisfaction  of  being  re- 
ceived in  the  embrace  of  a  father  who  had  cared 
for  them  and  educated  them,  for  he  had  passed  away, 
leaving  his  sons,  however,  the  memory  of  a  noble 
father  as  a  splendid  inheritance. 

The  throne  of  Poland  was,  at  that  time,  1648, 
filled  by  Casimir  V,  who  had  risen  from  a  cardinal 
to  a  king.  He  was  now  upon  the  point  of  seeing 
the  scepter  wrested  from  his  hands.  Gloomy  indeed 
was  that  age  for  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe.     The 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  7 

Thirty  Years'  War,  the  greatest  strife  in  which 
Europe  had  been  embroiled  since  the  days  of  the 
Roman  invasions,  had  just  ended  and  the  fact  that 
the  Thirty  Years'  War  was  not  only  a  religious  war 
which  had  grown  out  of  the  foment  which  Martin 
Luther  had  caused  to  start,  but  that  it  was  a  war  to 
preserve  a  certain  balance  of  power  with  the  great 
principalities  eying,  enviously  and  greedily,  no 
doubt,  the  very  evident  plan  of  Austria  to  make  of 
Vienna  a  religious  power  which  had  known  no  equal 
save  that  of  Rome,  is  a  truth  which  must  be  remem- 
bered, for  upon  that,  beyond  the  question  of  a  doubt, 
was  one  of  the  gravest  reasons  for  continuing  the 
power  of  the  Catholic  faith  as  against  the  Protestant 
and  of  adding  to  that  faith  against  the  invasions  of 
the  Turks  who  were,  at  that  time,  a  very  powerful 
foe.  So  we  repeat,  that  the  age  was  indeed  a  gloomy 
one  for  the  rulers  of  Europe.  Philip  the  Fourth 
had  lost  Portugal  and  the  most  of  his  possessions  in 
Asia.  In  France  the  mother  of  Louis  the  Fourteenth 
had  been  forced  out  of  Paris  with  her  children.  In 
England,  after  a  long  struggle  with  his  parliament, 
Charles  the  First  had  died  upon  the  scaffold.  The 
inglorious  flight  ,of  the  Polish  army  at  Pilawiecz 
was  but  recent,  when  the  two  Sobieskis  arrived  in 
Poland.  Their  mother,  a  woman  of  noble  spirit,  ex- 
claimed as  soon  as  she  saw  them  — "  Are  you  come  to 
avenge  your  country  ?     I  renounce  you  forever  as 


8  KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

my  sons  if  you  behave  like  the  combatants  at  Pila- 
wiecz !  "  How  well  they  fought  the  records  attest. 
The  Poles  were  defeated  in  two  pitched  battles,  and 
in  the  last  of  these  Mark,  the  younger  Sobieski,  was 
slain  in  the  very  flower  of  his  age. 


CHAPTER  II 

WHAT  had  been  done  by  John  Sobi- 
eski,  now  at  the  head  of  his  family 
(1649),  was  but  a  prelude  to  his 
future  exploits  in  war.  All  that 
had  been  observed  in  him,  up  to  this  time,  was  an 
impetuous  ardor  which  made  him  reckless  of  danger 
and  which  carried  him  where  the  mere  sense  of 
duty  would  not  require  his  presence.  A  single 
event  displays  the  credit  which  he  had  acquired  in 
so  short  a  time.  When  the  Polish  army  mutinied 
in  the  camp  at  Sborow,  a  city  of  Little  Poland  up 
on  the  borders  of  Podolia,  and  every  method,  such 
as  persuasion  to  which  was  added  menace  and  even 
cannon  of  the  Lithuanian  troops,  had  been  tried  in 
vain  by  the  commanding  general,  and  the  attempt 
given  up  as  hopeless,  John  Sobieski  asked  that  he 
might  tr>'  what  ho  could  do  in  inducing  the  men  to 
return  to  their  duties.  The  temerity  of  extraordi- 
nary men  is  never  justified  but  by  the  success  that 
attends  it.  It  is  easy  to  understand  what  address 
and  eloquence  are  needed  to  pursuade  men  who  had 
aiTns  in  their  hands.  It  is  not  only  a  matter  of 
personal  pride,  but  it  is  a  racial  pride  which  every 
true  Pole  feels  when  we  find  that  Sobieski,  a  very 


10  THE  LIFE  OF 

young  man  as  we  look  upon  men  today,  with  his 
grace  of  eloquence  carried  his  point  and  thus  early 
showed  that  empire  over  the  minds  of  men  which 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  consummate  general  and 
this  feat  advanced  to  the  height  of  glory  a  youth  who 
had,  as  yet,  held  no  public  office.  He  not  only,  by 
his  wondrous  eloquence,  persuaded  those  mutineers 
to  return  to  their  duty,  but  he  filled  them  with  a  new 
spirit  of  loyalty  and  enthusiasm  for  their  country 
and  its  cause. 

The  army  advanced  now  upon  the  foe  in  a  spirit 
that  can  never  fail  of  victory.  The  battle  lasted 
seven  days  and  the  loss  of  the  enemy  was  twenty 
thousand  men.  A  peace  was  obtained  that  was  in 
every  way  satisfactory  to  the  Republic,  which  had 
become  embroiled,  through  her  weak  and  vacillating 
king,  in  so  much  useless  slaughter.  The  immediate 
result  to  Sobieski  was  that  he  was  rewarded  by  being 
made  the  great  Standard-bearer  of  the  Crown,  an 
ofiicer  of  the  Court  and  of  the  army,  who  carries  the 
banner  of  the  Republic  at  the  coronations  and  at  the 
funerals  of  the  Kings  of  Poland.  This  was  a  re- 
markable rise  in  a  republic  which,  at  this  critical 
time  in  its  national  history,  must  be,  or  should  have 
been,  careful  how  it  proceeds  and  should  confer  re- 
wards rather  than  favors.  However,  the  promotion 
of  Sobieski  was  both  in  the  nature  of  a  reward  and 
was  also  one  of  those  marks  of  favor  which  fate  had 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  11 

reserved  for  him. 

Poland  now  saw,  as  she  had  not  seen  for  a  long 
time,  a  great  number  of  enemies  united  (1655)  to 
conspire  her  ruin.  Christiana  of  Sweden  had  re- 
signed her  crown  and  had  gone  to  Rome  to  spend 
Vie  rest  of  her  days  in  arts  and  letters  in  preference 
lo  remaining  with  her  own  people  and  endeavoring 
to  further  the  happiness  of  her  kingdom.  She  was 
succeeded  by  her  cousin,  Charles  Gustavus,  who 
made  the  same  mistake  that' so  many  others  have 
made,  and  that  was  in  thinking  that  the  most  effec- 
tive way  of  showing  his  ability  to  reign  was  tojenter 
upon  a  war  of  conquest,  a  part  of  which  is  due  to  the 
period  in  which  he  lived  when  the  conscience  that 
Europe  found  living  within  itself  and  her  growing 
pains  of  reformation,  were,  after  all,  secondary  to  the 
old  race  idea  that  might  makes  right.  In  a  brief 
time,  with  the  aid  of  allies,  Charles  Gustavus,  had 
made  himself  master  of  a  great  part  of  Poland  and 
proceeded  to  make  war  upon  Prussia. 

Any  other  than  the  weak  king  who  ruled  Poland 
would  have  seen  his  mistake  in  antagonizing  some 
who  should  have  been  his  friends  rather  than  ene- 
mies. 

Sobieski,  although  he  served  in  an  army  that  was 
everywhere  defeated,  was  yet  learning  to  conquer. 
If  Casimir  had  had  many  Sobieskis  he  might  have 
escaped  the  sad  extremity  to  which  he  was  reduced. 


12  THE  LIFE  OF 

Gustavus  was  already  advancing  upon  him  from 
Prussia.  Sobieski  blocked  him  up  between  the  Vis- 
tula and  the  Sanus,  hindered  him  being  supplied 
with  provisions  and  harassed  him  with  continual 
skirmishes.  Receiving  information  that  one  Swe- 
dish general  was  approaching  with  six  thousand  men 
to  relieve  the  King,  Sobieski  left  his  little  army  to 
continue  the  blockade  while  he  marched  with  his 
cavalry  to  meet  Douglas,  the  Swedish  general.  He 
forded  the  Pilcza,  a  river  much  swollen  by  the  melt- 
ing snows,  and  with  that  alacrity  which  characterized 
all  of  his  movements  and  was,  in  reality,  the  secret 
of  his  success,  he  surprised  Douglas,  delivered  a 
crushing  defeat  to  that  general,  and  followed  his 
fleeting  army  to  the  very  suburbs  of  Warsaw. 

Some  parts  of  the  Polish  army  which  had  been  de- 
pended upon  to  do  their  duty  in  this  emergency  failed 
entirely,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  another 
division  to  meet  and  oppose  Ragotski,  the  Prince 
of  Transylvania,  who  advanced  in  concert  with  the 
Swedish  forces  with  the  intention  of  depriving  Casi- 
mir  of  the  throne.  Surrounded  by  so  many  enemies, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  some  blunders  were  made 
and  less  surprising  that  the  King  of  Sweden  should 
take  advantage  of  them,  which  he  did  and  succeeded 
in  extricating  himself  from  the  position  where  Sobi- 
eski had  placed  him.  He  now  advanced  toward  War- 
saw where  a  general  engagement  took  place.     The 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  18 

battle  lasted  three  days  and  it  was  a  battle  well 
fought,  with  tremendous  energy  on  both  sides,  so  that 
the  field  was  red  with  blood  and  covered  with  the 
mangled  bodies  of  the  slain,  but  still  again  the  arms 
of  the  King  of  Sweden  were  victorious.  The  Re- 
public of  Poland  would  have  been  utterly  ruined  by 
these  stunning  defeats  but  that,  at  this  juncture,  the 
allied  forces,  led  by  the  King  of  Sweden,  were  de- 
prived of  that  great  leader  by  death.  Thus  ended 
the  career  of  Charles  Gustavus,  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant men  of  his  time.  He  was  but  little,  if  any,  in- 
ferior to  the  great  Gustavus  Adolphus,  his  uncle, 
and  doubtless,  had  he  been  spared,  he  would  have 
been  recorded  as  one  of  the  world's  greatest  generals, 
for  a  longer  life  might,  and  no  doubt  would,  have 
given  him  the  opportunity  to  restore  the  exchequer 
of  his  country  to  an  adequacy  of  demands. 

Ragotski,  who  succeeded  Charles  Gustavus,  was  a 
man  of  great  ambition,  but  an  ambition  that  was  not 
equaled  in  talents.  He  disregarded  the  advice  of 
Charles  Gustavus  to  follow  and  annihilate  Lubomir- 
ski,  one  of  the  generals  of  the  Polish  army,  and  So- 
bieski  made  an  incursion  into  his  territory  where  he 
committed  the  same  hostilities  that  had  afflicted  Po- 
land. Ragotski  succeeded  in  defending  himself  no 
better  than  he  had  done  in  attacking  others,  and  was 
glad  to  accept  of  a  humiliating  peace  after  which 
he  never  disturbed  his  neighbors.     Sweden,  herself, 


14  TH]E  LIFE  OF 

no  longer  financially  able  to  carry  on  an  exhausting 
war,  was  glad  to  make  the  peace  for  which  her  late 
King  was  also  more  than  willing,  as  there  had  been 
no  perceptible  gain  for  all  the  terrible  cost  and  the 
awful  sacrifice  of  men. 

Poland  still  had  two  near  enemies  with  whom  to 
deal:  the  Muscovites  and  Cossacks,  the  latter 
of  whom  she  had  needlessly  animated  to  a  degree  of 
animosity  by  cruel  oppression.  It  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  prevent  the  Muscovites  and  the  Cos- 
sacks joining  forces,  but  to  prevent  this  there  was 
needed  a  man  of  great  ability.  Sobieski  was  selected, 
and,  with  the  celerity  of  lightning,  he  moved  upon 
them  and  attacked  them  upon  their  arrival  at  the 
Ukraine,  where  he  delivered  them  a  stunning  blow 
and  a  terrible  defeat.  His  victory  was  complete  in 
every  detail.  The  Cossack  general  was  taken  pris- 
oner, put  in  chains  and  sent  to  the  Polish  King. 
This  brilliant  victory  over  the  Cossacks  very  natu- 
rally filled  the  Muscovites  with  fear  and  trembling, 
and  they  surrendered  their  army  without  fighting. 

ISTothing  now  remained  but  to  recapture  a  few 
places  in  Lithuania,  one  of  which  was  Wilna,  one 
of  Poland's  most  important  cities,  built  entirely  of 
wood  for  the  want  of  stone.  The  Muscovite  general 
who  commanded  the  citadel  would  have  put  any  man 
to  death  who  would  even  have  talked  of  surrendering. 
He  had  suspicions  of  a  Polish  priest  and  put  him 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  15 

into  a  mortar  and  discharged  this  frightful  and  grue- 
some bomb  upon  the  besiegers.  His  brutality, 
cruelty,  and  obstinacy,  joined  to  the  impossibility  of 
making  a  long  defense,  caused  the  foreign  officers  in 
the  garrison  to  rise  in  mutiny  against  the  Muscovite 
commander.  They  surrendered,  thus,  both  the  city 
and  the  citadel  into  the  hands  of  the  besiegers.  The 
Poles,  having  gotten  the  Muscovite  barbarian  gen- 
eral into  their  hands  and  power,  condemned  him  to 
die  at  the  hands  of  a  common  executioner,  but  none 
being  found  the  general's  ovm  cook  offered,  no  doubt 
to  repay  some  old  grudge,  to  do  the  deed  and  was 
permitted  to  cut  the  head  off  his  master.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  realize  what  manner  of  man  the  master 
was  who  had  in  his  employ  such  a  servant. 

Lubomirski,  being  in  disgrace,  was  deposed  from 
royal  favor.  Czarneski,  Palatine  of  Kiovia,  was 
made  petty  general  and  Sobieski,  for  his  brilliant 
victories,  was  promoted  to  the  dignity  of  Grand  Mar- 
shal, a  post  of  high  distinction,  but  a  civil  position 
having  no  military  authority  or  jurisdiction. 

In  order  to  clearly  understand  the  form  of  govern- 
ment it  may  not  be  unwise  to  pause  for  a  brief  sur- 
vey. The  Pcpublic  had  four  great  officers  who  were 
entrusted  with  the  four  principal,  or  primary, 
branches  of  the  administration.  The  Grand  General 
directed  the  affairs  of  the  army ;  this  is  similar  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  in  modern  Republics.     The  Grand 


16  THE  LIFE  OF 

Chancellor  presided  over  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice and  was  similar  to  the  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  States  or  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England. 
The  next  was  the  Grand  Treasurer,  whose  position 
was  not  synonomous  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury in  the  United  States,  but  quite  similar.  It  fell 
to  his  lot  to  devise  means  of  raising  revenues  for  the 
support  of  the  government  both  in  time  of  peace  and 
for  purposes  of  warfare.  Next  was  the  Grand  Mar- 
shal who  was,  in  fact,  a  national  chief  of  police. 
These  four  personages  were  called  Brachia  Eegalia, 
that  is,  Arms  of  the  King. 

Lubomirski  rebelled  at  what  he  considered  the  in- 
justice which  had  been  done  him,  and  resolved  to 
obtain  justice  by  dint  of  arms.  He,  therefore,  en- 
tered Poland  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  less  than  a 
thousand  men,  but  soon  found  himself  at  the  head 
of  an  army  of  five  thousand  strong.  The  King  as- 
sembled a  superior  force  and  detached  the  Lithuan- 
ian contingency,  commanded  by  Polubinski,  to  attack 
the  rebel  army,  but  the  rebels  defeated  the  royalists 
and  took  a  great  number  of  prisoners,  Polubinski 
being  among  them.  The  conqueror  treated  them 
with  all  the  humanity  that  could  have  been  expected 
of  a  friend  and  dismissed  them  without  a  ransom. 
But  his  treatment  of  Sobieski  was  not  so  generous, 
for  he  ravished  his  estates,  and  carried  off  his  cattle. 
However,  the  temptation  to  crush  the  rival  who  has 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  17 

been  raised  up  upon  one's  own  ruin  is  a  temptation 
that  few  can  resist. 

The  success  of  the  rebel  leader  opened  up  before 
him  Great  Poland  and  while  the  royal  army  was  ex- 
erting every  eflFort  to  stop  his  passage,  the  nobility, 
which  had  at  first  either  openly  opposed  him  or  had 
simply  refused  to  take  sides,  now  found  it  convenient 
to  espouse  the  cause  of  Lubomirski,  and  for  a  while 
the  skies  looked  dark  for  the  Republic. 

Two  Senators,  who  were  bishops,  induced  the  two 
armies  to  continue  in  sight  of  each  other  without 
coming  to  an  engagement  until  the  holding  of  a 
special  session  of  the  diet  which  the  King  had  called 
to  meet  in  Warsaw  on  the  seventeenth  of  March. 
This  action  gave  hopes  to  Lubomirski  of  his  restora- 
tion and  to  his  army  of  the  pay  it  required. 

Lubomirski,  being  of  a  warm,  generous  nature, 
was  ready  to  forgive  an  injury  as  soon  as  satisfaction 
was  made  and  did  not  disdain,  though  victorious,  to 
appear  in  the  form  of  suppliant.  At  last  the  great 
day  which  kept  both  armies  in  suspense  arrived. 
The  Marshal  of  the  Deputies,  who  acted  as  speaker, 
enlarged  in  vague  terms  upon  the  advantages  of 
peace;  the  moment  was  suj)posed  to  be  come  which 
would  produce  Lubormirski  and  his  interests  upon  the 
stage,  but  the  orator  who  kept  his  eye  fixed  upon  the 
King  had  not  the  courage  to  enter  the  subject  and  a 
vote,  which  issued  from  the  midst  of  the  assemblage. 


18  THE  LIFE  OF 

put  an  end  to  the  address  and  tlie  diet  together. 

The  King's  anger,  which  grew  more  and  more  in- 
flamed, encountered  a  new  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
Lubomirski's  restoration.  Czarneski,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded him  as  general,  was  dead  and  the  King  had 
appointed  Sobieski  to  the  post.  The  King,  by  this 
step,  had  put  himself  in  an  embarrassing  situation 
and  the  consequence  of  it  was  that  the  war  recom- 
menced with  greater  fury  than  before. 

The  King,  heading  an  army  of  twenty-six  thou- 
sand men,  marched  in  search  of  the  enemy  of 
eighteen  thousand.  The  two  factions  approached 
near  each  other  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  July  in  the 
palatinate  of  Cijavia.  This  was  the  first  occasion 
that  Sobieski  acted  as  general.  There  was  a  morass 
intervening  between  the  two  armies  which  the  King 
ordered  him  to  pass.  Sobieski  explained  to  the  King 
the  danger  of  such  a  project,  it  being  easy  to  see  that 
the  enemy  would  suffer  only  such  a  number  to  pass 
as  they  could  conquer,  but  the  King  refused  to  regard 
the  remonstrance,  and  ordered  Sobieski  to  assume 
his  command.  The  King's  troops  entered  the 
morass,  were  soon  embedded  in  the  mud  and  only 
succeeded  in  crossing  with  the  greatest  difficulty. 

Besides  being  animated  by  their  countries'  inter- 
ests, which  both  sides  claimed,  at  the  same  time  evinc- 
ing a  willingness  to  tear  one  another  to  pieces,  there 
was  perpetual  hatred  between  the  two  opposing  gen- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  19 

crals,  both  of  whom  were  not  only  brave  in  action, 
but  gifted  in  the  arts  and  learned  in  the  skill  of 
warfare.  One  general,  newly  appointed  to  office,  at- 
tacked another  who  had  been  degraded  and  dishon- 
ored to  make  room  for  him.  The  one  fighting  his 
own  cause,  his  reputation,  his  name,  everything  at 
stake  as  well  as  the  reputation  and  future  of  the 
many  who  had  joined  him,  fell  upon  Sobieski  with 
the  power  of  a  thunderbolt  and  attacked  him  as  soon 
as  ho  emerged  from  the  morass.  Thus  the  royal 
army  was  overpowered  before  it  could  come  into 
action,  and  the  King,  beholding  the  defeat  of  his 
army,  from  the  first  side,  had  only  himself  to  blame 
for  the  useless  destruction  of  four  thousand  of  his 
own  troops.  Indeed,  the  whole  army  would  have 
been  destroyed  had  not  Sobieski  brought  it  off  the 
field  of  action  with  the  greatest  skill  under  such 
difficulty.  Though  a  defeated  general  is  usually 
blamed,  in  this  case  every  one  attributed  the  loss  of 
the  day  where  it  belonged  —  to  the  blunder  of  the 
King. 

The  King,  now  filled  with  regret  at  his  foolhardi- 
ness  in  refusing  to  abide  by  the  counsel  of  Sobieski, 
encamped  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  Pilcza,  where 
he  showed  a  willingness  to  receive  counsel  and  ad- 
vice. 

Lubormirski,  far  from  feeling  elation  at  his  late 
victory,  sought  to  make  his  peace  wath  the  King. 


20  THE  LIFE  OF 

He  was  inflexible  in  no  point  save  that  which  he 
deemed  to  be  to  the  best  interests  of  his  army  and 
his  country,  and,  having  secured  satisfaction  for 
them,  he  was  content  with  having  the  decree  of  his 
proscription  revoked  and  asked  for  no  further  favor 
for  himself. 

Being  restored  to  kingly  favor,  Lubormirski  dis- 
banded his  army  and  went  to  Jaroszin,  accompanied 
only  by  his  principal  generals,  where  he  met  the 
King.  The  reconciliation  was  effected,  but  it  was 
in  such  a  way  as  it  always  is  between  a  king  and  a 
subject  who  is  himself  dreaded.  But,  being  well 
acquainted  with  kings,  and  although  perfectly  free 
to  remain  in  Poland,  Lubormirski  returned  to  Bres- 
lau,  where  he  died,  very  suddenly,  some  six  months 
later.  It  was  openly  charged  by  his  friends  that  his 
death  could  not  be  attributed  to  natural  causes. 

Sobieski  had  learned  to  conquer  while  serving 
under  an  able  master,  but  from  now  on  was  prepared 
to  more  than  surpass  any  teacher  he  had  ever  known. 
Hitherto  he  had  lived,  since  his  reentry  into  Po- 
land, in  almost  a  continuous  state  of  combat  in  which, 
being  unmarried,  he  had  often  risked  ending  his  life 
and  his  family  line  together.  He  was  at  this  time 
arrived  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  and  if  the  thoughts 
of  love  and  companionship,  home  and  children,  had 
entered  his  mind,  they  must  have  been  put  aside,  for 
the  lust  of  war  and  conquest,  in  the  name  of  his 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  21 

native  country,  had  taken  the  place  of  such  ties,  so 
that  we  find  him  now,  not  only  an  eligible  match, 
but  one  who,  on  account  of  his  magnetism,  form  and 
carriage,  must  have  stirred  the  heart  of  more  than 
one  girlish  bosom. 


CHAPTER  III 

AMONG  the  maids  of  honor  whom  the 
Queen  had  brought  from  France,  little 
suspecting  that  one  of  them  was  a  future 
queen,  the  Polish  nobles  took  particular 
notice  of  one  whom  the  Queen  herself  particularly 
honored.  The  name  of  this  young  woman  was 
Mary  Casimira  de  la  Grange,  daughter  of  Henry  de 
la  Grange  and  Francis  de  la  Chatre  who  had  been 
governess  to  Queen  Louisa.  Thus  the  young  woman 
united  two  of  the  most  ancient  families  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Bery,  distinguished  for  having  produced  sev- 
eral of  the  marshals  of  France. 

Genry  de  la  Grange  was  better  knovsm  as  the  Mar- 
quis d'Arquien,  Captain  of  the  Guard  to  Philip  of 
Orleans,  the  only  brother  of  Louis  XIV.  Mary,  the 
daughter,  who  followed  the  Queen  of  Poland,  mar- 
ried Radziwil,  palatine  of  Sendomir  and  Prince  of 
Zamoski  (a  town  of  Poland  in  the  palatinate  of 
Beltz),  and  was  the  mother  of  four  children  who 
died  very  young  and  who  were  not  long  survived  by 
the  Prince. 

Sobieski,  persuaded  that  favor  is  a  good  support 
to  merit,  and  knowing  that  the  Queen  continued  her 

protection  over  the  young  widow,  asked  the  hand  of 

22 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  23 

the  Princess  Mary  in  marriage  so  precipitately  that 
she  scarce  had  time  to  dry  her  tears  from  the  demise 
of  Princo  Radziwil.  In  order  to  preserve  the 
decency  of  mourning,  the  Queen  of  Poland  arranged 
for  a  secret  marriage  between  Sobieski  and  Mary 
Kadzivvil  and  then  wrote  to  the  Marquis  d'Arquien 
asking  for  his  consent. 

The  Marquis  d'Arquien  replied  that  it  was  a 
thing  unheard  of  to  marry  again  in  a  month  after 
the  death  of  the  former  husband ;  that,  for  his  part, 
he  was  not  dazzled  by  the  fame  of  Sobieski  and 
that,  knowing  that  his  daughter  had  derived  but 
little  happiness  from  her  first  marriage  he  had  re- 
solved upon  settling  her  again  in  her  native  country 
and  had  hoped  that  the  well  known  equity  of  Her 
Majesty  would  have  permitted  him  the  full  posses- 
sion of  the  authority  parents  hold  over  their  children, 
by  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  but  that  the  thing 
being  done  without  his  consent,  which  consent  had 
seemed  unnecessary,  the  respect  he  owed  a  great  king 
prevented  him  giving  his  sentiments  in  full  and  that 
he  should  not  forget  the  offense  committed  by  his 
daughter,  Madame  Zamoski,  as  he  termed  her. 

Men  should  loam  to  submit  to  the  inevitable,  par- 
ticularly when  the  inevitable  has  already  happened, 
with  better  grace,  and  we  fancy  that  the  ^larquis 
must  certainly  have  written  in  quite  a  different  man- 
ner could  he  have  foreseen  that  the  marriage  of  his 


24  THE  LIFE  OF 

daughter  to  John  Sobieski  was  to  elevate  her  to  a 
throne  and  be  the  means  of  loading  him  with  wealth 
and  honors. 

Pope  Innocent  XII  never  forgot  that  he  gave  his 
benediction  to  the  nuptial  ceremony,  while  he  was 
the  Apostolic  Nuncio  in  Poland,  and  testified,  upon 
all  occasions,  a  singular  affection  for  the  illustrious 
pair. 

The  Queen  of  Poland,  friend  of  Madame  Sobieski, 
died  in  1667,  but  Sobieski  was  still  high  in  favor  with 
the  King,  and  held  the  esteem  of  the  entire  nation,  a 
condition  which  was  not  always  to  last.  His  rise 
was  also  promoted  by  events  which  occurred,  with 
uncommon  rapidity,  in  his  favor.  When  Lubormir- 
ski  took  up  arms  against  the  King  it  left  the  va- 
cancy, —  in  the  Grand-Marshalship,  which  Sobieski 
filled  in  1665.  A  year  after  that  the  death  of  Czar- 
neski  made  him  Petty  General.  He  had  now  but 
one  step  farther  to  go  to  become  one  of  the  most  con- 
siderable persons  in  the  Republic.  And  that  one 
step  was  taken  when  Grand  General  Potoski  passed 
away  (1667),  and  Sobieski  was  advanced  to  Grand 
General,  resigning  the  office  of  Petty  General  to  De- 
metrius Wiesnowieski,  palatine  of  Beltz. 

These  two  Generals,  Petty  and  Grand,  receive 
from  the  King  a  staff  called  Boulaf  which  is  a  short 
mace  terminating  at  one  end  in  a  large  head,  either 
gilt  or  massive  silver,  and  sometimes  enriched  with 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  25 

jewels.  But  in  the  army  it  is  not  the  staff  that  in- 
dicates the  general,  but  a  long  lance  adorned  at  one 
end  with  a  horse's  tail,  contrived  so  as  to  be  seen 
at  a  great  distance,  either  on  the  march,  in  time  of 
action  or  when  in  camp.  Each  general  has  his  tent, 
Petty  General  on  one  side  and  Grand  General  on 
the  other  side  of  the  line,  each  with  this  ensign  of 
office  which  is  called  Boutchouk. 

The  power  of  the  Grand  General  was  limited  only 
by  his  own  will,  but  besides  the  staff  of  Grand  Gen- 
eral, Sobieski  possessed  in  addition  the  office  and  title 
of  Grand  Marshal  and  by  this  means  held  within 
his  power  both  civil  and  military  authority,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  at  first  caused  great  murmuring  be- 
cause both  the  spirit  and  the  customs  of  the  Republic 
directed  that  these  two  offices  should  always  be  kept 
separate,  as  their  union  conferred  too  formidable  a 
power  upon  one  man,  but  Sobieski,  by  his  subsequent 
conduct,  put  a  stop  to  all  discontent. 

At  this  time,  as  if  to  try  again  the  ability  of  Sobi- 
eski, an  army  of  eighty  thousand  Tartars  appeared 
upon  the  frontiers  of  the  Kingdom,  and  the  Cossacks, 
always  in  a  state  of  irritation  and  insubordination 
against  their  rulers,  always  rebellious,  always  ready 
at  any  and  all  times  to  strike  a  blow  against  Poland, 
were  ready  to  join  now  with  the  Tartars  in  their  aim 
at  her  destruction. 

The  army  of  Poland,  at  this  time,  numbered  not 


26  THE  LIFE  OF 

over  twelve  thousand,  and  the  department  was  in  so 
low  a  state  financially  that  the  Grand  Treasurer  de- 
clared that  there  was  not  sufficient  moneys  to  pay 
the  old  troops  much  less  money  for  new  forces  nec- 
essary to  go  against  the  Tartars  and  Cossacks.  The 
King  was  wholly  abandoned  to  despair  and  daily  be- 
came more  and  more  disgusted  with  the  crown  so 
that  he  no  longer  exerted  himself  to  support  the  irk- 
some demands  of  his  high  position,  and,  as  is  to  be 
supposed,  the  evil  grew  more  and  more,  so  that  a  way 
out  was  most  urgent.  The  Tartars,  sustained  by  the 
Cossacks,  advanced  hourly  and  rapidly  and  great  ap- 
prehension was  felt  from  the  Turks. 

In  general,  the  people  expected  nothing  but  ruin 
for  the  Kepublic,  but  not  so  Sobieski.  He  did  not 
despair,  but  if  ever  he  needed  a  second  with  whom  to 
share  the  burdens  and  discuss  ways  and  means  it  was 
now,  with  the  gates  on  every  side  in  danger  from 
foes  from  without.  Yet  every  thing  and  every  one 
seemed,  at  this  most  critical  juncture,  to  fail  and  to 
make  matters  still  more  serious,  Wiesnowieski,  Petty 
General,  fell  seriously  ill  so  that  the  whole  burden 
fell  upon  Sobieski  who  labored  constantly  and  con- 
sistently to  increase  his  little,  and  apparently  wholly 
inadequate,  army.  Undaunted  he  began  the  march 
over  the  extensive  territory  and  was  supplied  with 
fresh  recruits  as  he  went.  He  formed  bases  of  sup- 
plies and  magazines  of  provisions  and  ammunitions. 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  27 

He  not  only  emptied  his  own  private  purse,  but  he 
borrowed  funds  to  re-supply  the  public  treasury  so 
that,  finally,  he  marched  with  twenty  thousand  men 
toward  the  palatinate  of  Russia  to  meet  a  hundred 
thousand  soldiers  and  to  try  and  defeat  them. 

With  so  small  a  force  it  became  necessary  to  resort 
to  pitting  the  strength  of  his  wit  against  the  foe 
rather  than  to  try  to  meet  so  great  a  force  with  so 
small  an  one.  Sobieski  therefore  decided  to  detach 
some  of  his  troops  and,  under  competent  generals, 
he  sent  them  out  to  scour  the  country  and  to  harass 
the  enemy  continually  and  incessantly,  himself 
marching  on  toward  the  camp  of  the  enemy  and  as 
though  victory  were  already  his,  he  wrote  to  his  wife 
who  had  gone  on  a  visit  to  her  native  country,  France, 
that  upon  such  and  such  a  day  he  would,  with  twelve 
thousand  men,  shut  himself  up  in  a  fortified  camp 
before  Podahieoz,  a  place  that  Doroscensko,  the  Cos- 
sack general,  intended  to  besiege  and  upon  that  day, 
and  from  that  place,  he  would  march  out  upon  the 
enemy  and,  in  the  end,  would  ruin  the  powerful 
adversary. 

Such  faith  in  one's  ability  was  almost  sufficient 
within  itself  to  accomplish  the  purpose,  but  when 
France,  that  is,  the  Court  of  France,  was  thus  in- 
formed by  Madame  Sobieski  of  her  husband's  daring 
plan,  the  Prince  of  Conde,  who  at  that  time  was  con- 
sidered  as  one  of  the  very  greatest   soldiers   and 


28  THE  LIFE  OF 

strategists  of  Europe,  declared  the  act  to  be  sheer 
madness,  and  that  there  was  not  one  single  grain  of 
possibility  for  its  success. 

In  the  meantime  Sobieski  had  called  together  a 
council  of  his  officers  and  laid  the  plan  before  them 
in  the  eloquent,  persuasive  manner  in  which  he  was 
wont  to  address  his  army  and  its  leaders,  but  with 
no  exception  they  all  condemned  the  plan  as  entirely 
impracticable  and  freely  prophesied  destruction  for 
Sobieski  and  his  army.  The  result  of  the  counsel 
was  not  long  in  being  spread  among  the  common 
soldiery,  who  became  disheartened,  and  it  became 
necessary  for  the  Grand  General  to  address  them  as 
he  had  done  the  others. 

"  I  am  determined,"  were  the  memorable  words 
upon  that  occasion,  "  to  make  no  change  in  my  plan. 
The  event  will  show  whether  it  be  well  laid  or  not. 
As  to  what  remains,  I  lay  no  restraint  upon  such  as 
have  not  the  courage  to  face  a  glorious  death.  Let 
them  retire  and  die  in  flight  by  the  sword  of  a  Cos- 
sack or  a  Tartar.  For  myself  I  shall  stay  here 
with  those  brave  soldiers  who  love  their  country. 
This  crowd  of  robbers  makes  no  impression  upon 
my  mind.  I  know  that  Heaven  has  often  given  vic- 
tory to  small  numbers,  when  animated  with  valor 
and  can  you  doubt  but  God  will  be  for  us  against 
these  infidels  ?  "  And  all  who  were  present  looked  at 
each  other  in  shame  and  amazement  and  not  one 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  29 

thought  again  of  leaving  camp. 

The  Tartars  were  free  to  march  on  and  penetrate 
into  the  heart  of  Poland,  but  they  chose,  rather,  to 
deprive  the  kingdom  of  its  only  resources  by  attack- 
ing this  little  army  with  all  their  forces  and  they 
were  too  well  acquainted  with  the  fame  of  Sobieski 
to  care  to  leave  him  behind  them. 

Sobieski  had  already  taken  some  prisoners  whom 
he  made  use  of  to  menace  the  Tartarian  General  at 
a  time  when  he  had  everything  to  fear  for  himself 
and  his  own  small  force.  "  Go,"  said  he  to  the 
prisoners  as  he  dismissed  them,  "  tell  the  Sultan 
Nuradin  that  I  will  treat  him  in  the  same  manner 
he  treated  my  brother.  I  will  have  head  for  head." 
The  only  answer  that  Nuradin  gave  was  to  hasten 
the  attack. 

The  enemy  poured  in  upon  the  camp  from  all  sides 
and  on  all  sides  was  w^armly  received,  while  the  ar- 
tillery kept  playing  briskly.  At  length  a  way  was 
forced  in  a  weak  place,  but  the  Poles,  rushing  thither, 
drove  them  back,  sword  in  hand,  beyond  the  en- 
trenchments. The  plain  w^as  soon  covered  with  the 
bodies  of  the  slain.  The  Poles'  loss  was  four  hun- 
dred, but  the  Tartar  loss  could  not  be  more  than 
estimated  in  a  general  way,  as  they,  according  to 
their  ancient  custom,  carried  their  dead  off  the  field 
of  battle  and  burned  them  so  that  they  might  neither 
be  counted  nor  stench  to  pollute  the  air  with  poison. 


30  THE  LIFE  OF 

Battles  are  not,  ordinarily,  of  many  hours'  dura- 
tion, a  popular  belief  being  to  the  contrary.  Some 
of  the  world's  greatest  decisive  battles  have  been 
fought  and  won  in  half  a  dozen  hours,  some  in  even 
less  time  than  that.  While  of  course,  as  in  some 
well  known  and  authentic  cases,  they  have  lasted  for 
several  days,  in  this  case  the  battle  raged  back- 
ward and  forward,  over  and  round  about  the  be- 
sieged camp,  for  seventeen  days  and  each  moment 
was  fought  as  hungrily  by  either  side  as  though  that 
moment  were  to  decide  the  fate  of  each.  On  the 
part  of  the  foe,  whose  superior  numbers  gave  them 
great  confidence,  it  was  attack  upon  attack,  while 
upon  the  part  of  the  besieged  it  was  advance  upon 
advance.  The  last  day  of  all  was  the  most  bloody. 
Sobieski  had  given  orders  that  the  outlying  detach- 
ments which  had  been  harassing  and  scourging  in 
unexpected  places,  should  return  to  the  main  army, 
by  easy  and  (to  the  enemy)  insensible  approaches, 
as  their  presence  was  more  needed  within  the  lines 
than  without,  for  it  was  becoming  evident  that  the 
Tartars,  provoked,  disheartened  and  chagrined  by 
such  great  resistance  from  so  small  a  band,  had  re- 
solved upon  a  general  assault  and  that  the  moment 
was  near  at  hand  which  would  decide  the  fate  of  the 
Republic. 

Sobieski  realized,  as  did  each  and  every  man  in 
the  army,  that  if  they  were  lost,  Poland  was  lost; 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  31 

that  they  and  tlie  Republic  would  then  be  at  the 
mercy  of  Tartar  and  Cossack  in  whom  was  neither 
mercy  nor  the  fear  of  God.  This  little  Spartan  band 
had  learned  from  former  experience  that  the  troops 
of  the  opponent  were  not  invincible,  but  the  oppo- 
nent, when  it  became  a  surety  that  they  were  to  be 
met  with  at  least  a  brave  front,  set  up  a  cheer  of  de- 
risive howling,  but  the  joyful  cries  of  the  barbarians 
were  almost  instantly  lost  in  the  clamor  of  battle.  A 
very  delug'o  of  blood  was  spilt  and  victory  seemed 
wavering  in  the  balance,  but  before  either  side  could 
claim  an  advantage  the  several  detachments  arrived 
and  attacked  the  enemy  in  flank.  The  brave  Piwot, 
in  particular,  having  laid  in  ruins  the  quarters  of  the 
Cossacks,  carried  off  their  convoys,  defeated  their 
foraging  parties,  redoubled  his  glorious  efforts  and 
attacked,  sword  in  hand,  with  his  two  thousand  cav- 
alrymen, driving  all  before  him.  At  the  sight  of 
such  splendid  fighting,  in  the  face  of  such  odds,  the 
very  sutlers  and  peasants  converted  everything  they 
could  find  into  weapons  and  resolved  to  do  their 
part  and  to  have  a  part  in  the  victory  which  was 
by  now  but  feebly  disputed.  The  carnage  would 
have  been  universal  had  not  the  victors  been  wearied 
with  so  much  bloodshed. 

The  Tartars,  little  accustomed  to  pitched  battles, 
began  to  look  behind  them  and  soon  after  gave  way, 
lost  their  ranks,  and  became  so  utterly  demoralized 


32  THE  LIFE  OF 

that  confusion  and  dismay  prevailed  among  them. 
When  they  saw  that  they  had  lost  they  took  to  flight 
and  drew  the  Cossacks  with  them. 

At  this  hour  Sobieski,  whose  bravery  and  skill  had 
animated  the  whole  engagement,  hoped  to  keep  his 
word  with  Nuradin  and  ordered  his  life  to  be  spared 
should  he  be  overtaken  on  the  route  of  flight,  that 
he  himself  might  have  the  grim  pleasure  of  sacrific- 
ing him  for  the  sake  of  avenging  his  brother's  death. 
But  ISTuradin  and  Doroscensko  had  retired  so  early 
that  they  feared  no  pursuit,  leaving  behind  them 
twenty  thousand  of  their  dead  upon  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. The  full  horror  of  the  Tartar-Cossack  ravages 
was  revealed  after  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  The 
Poles  saw  with  horror  the  sacked  villages,  the  country 
seats  and  town  palaces  of  the  nobles  as  they  lay  razed 
to  the  ground,  the  churches  smoldering  in  their 
ruins  upon  which  lay  great  heaps  of  rotting  carcasses 
and  the  frontiers  entirely  laid  waste,  but  the  body  of 
the  state  was  preserved  and  Sobieski's  success  not 
only  astonished  and  electrified  Poland  but  all  the 
world  joined  in  the  acclaim  to  the  great  statesman- 
soldier  who  had  accomplished  the  seemingly  impos- 
sible. He  had  not  only  won  a  victory  but  that  vic- 
tory was  over  their  most  terrible  foe  and  was  a  vic- 
tory unparalleled  in  modem  warfare.  By  this  sin- 
gle achievement  he  had  earned  the  right  to  be  called 
the  greatest  soldier  of  his  age  and  his  glory  is  still 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  33 

undimmed  by  the  Napoleons,  the  Washingtons  or 
the  Lees  who  have  come  after  him.  It  was  not  only 
a  victory  as  victories  are  estimated,  but  so  great  was 
the  achievement  that  the  foe  was  in  utter  panic  and 
terror,  an  unheard  of  state  for  a  Cossack  or  Tartar, 
who  had  begun  the  war  but  who  now  groveled  for 
peace  which  the  conquerors  were  more  than  glad  to 
grant. 

Sobieski  now  returned  to  the  capital  of  Poland, 
victorious.  He  received  the  acclaim  and  plaudits  of 
a  grateful  people  all  the  way.  Each  village,  each 
hamlet  vied  in  doing  him  homage.  He  was,  beyond 
peradventure,  the  savior  of  his  people,  of  his  country, 
and  was  received  at  the  capital  with  every  demonstra- 
tion of  joy,  and  right  amid  the  shouts  of  the  admiring 
multitude,  he  received  news  that  filled  him  with 
greater  joy  than  he  had  ever  known.  And  that  news 
was  the  message  that  unto  him  a  son  had  been  born, 
in  Paris,  where  his  wife  was  visiting,  and  where  she 
had  gone  for  her  accouchement  that  she  might  be  near 
her  own  people  while  her  husband  followed  the  un- 
certain fortunes  of  war.  This  child  was  afterwards 
known  as  Prince  James.  Louis  XIV,  the  Grand 
Monarch  of  France,  was  his  godfather.  The  child 
was  named  in  full  James  Louis  Sobieski,  thus  unit- 
ing the  names  of  his  illustrious  grandfather  and  god- 
father. 


CHAPTER  IV 

WINTER  was  the  season  allotted  for 
the  Diets,  that  the  operations  of  war 
should  not  be  interrupted.  That  of 
the  present  year  was  opened  in  the 
month  of  February.  The  Republic  ofJPoland  had 
many  customs  which  resemBed  the  customs,  of  an- 
cienTTibme  and  which  the  student  may  apply  as 
he  win.  The  Grand  General  gave,  as  was  custom- 
ary, an  account  of  the  instructions  he  had  received 
from  the  Senate,  of  the  operations  and  success  of  the 
latest  campaign,  or  the  campaign  which  had  been 
entered  upon  since  the  convening  of  the  previous 
Diet,  told  of  the  distinguished  actions  of  those  who 
shared  his  labors,  dwelling  much  longer  upon  the  ac- 
counts of  his  co-laborers  than  upon  his  own  deeds, 
and  his  address  was  received  with  applause  by  all 
the  orders  of  the  assembly  whereupon  the  Vice- 
Chancellor,  rising  from  his  seat  at  the  foot  of  the 
throne,  gave  solemn  thanks,  in  the  name  of  the  Re- 
public, to  this  deliverer  of  his  country  in  her  sore 
distress  and  to  all  who  had  assisted  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  Poland.  His  remarks  were  but  a  degree 
less  animated,  all  of  which  was  a  most  worthy  man- 
ner of  receiving  the  returning  heroes  and  one  which 
,     34 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  35 

few,  if  any,  countries  of  Europe  could  have  emulated, 
as  in  pure  monarchies  the  King  must  receive  all  the 
attention,  flattery  and  popular  applause. 

Casimir,  King  of  Poland  at  this  time,  had  noth- 
ing to  do,  no  part  to  take  in  this  great  victory  be- 
yond ordering  prayers  over  the  success  of  the  cam- 
paign and  giving  solemn  thanks  to  God  in  the  great 
church  of  Warsaw. 

No  doubt  the  occasion  gave  him  more  liberty  to 
give  vent  to  the  deep  religious  trend  of  his  nature, 
but,  notwithstanding  the  victory  of  his  army,  a  feel- 
ing of  melancholy  and  despair  was  upon  his  spirits, 
lie  Avas  inconsolable  for  the  loss  of  his  Queen,  and 
yet  by  no  uncommon  contradiction  between  the  judg- 
ment and  the  affections,  his  conscience  was  uneasy 
at  having  married  her,  she  having  been  his  brother's 
wife.  Although  the  authority  of  the  Pope  had  long 
since  quieted  his  religious  scruples,  he  now  looked 
upon  himself  as  accountable  for  all  the  calamities 
which  the  voice  of  the  Republic  had  openly  attributed 
to  his  marriage  and  his  administration.  His  mind 
was  so  completely  overwhelmed  with  grief  that  he 
became  insensible  to  the  burdens,  the  responsibili- 
ties of  royalty,  and  soon  after  this  surrendered  the 
crown  and  retired  to  a  monastery  in  France. 

Upon  the  abdication  of  Casimir,  several  candi- 
dates presented  themselves  for  the  crown  of  Poland. 
The  Czar  of  Muscovy's  son,   Pagotski ;   Prince  of 


36  THE  LIFE  OF 

Transylvania ;  the  young  Duke  of  Anguein ;  and  in 
case  of  his  rejection,  the  Prince  of  Conde,  his  father. 
There  were  also  some  others  who  entered  the  lists: 
Prince  Charles  of  Lorraine  —  son  of  Duke  Francis ; 
and  the  Duke  of  Newberg,  Palatine  of  the  Rhine. 

The  Eepublic  soon  dismissed  the  first  four  for 
different  reasons.  The  Czar's  son  on  account  of  re- 
ligion, though  he  offered  to  renounce  that.  Eagot- 
ski  was  rejected  because  Poland  was  still  smoking 
from  the  fires  of  that  war  which  his  father  had 
kindled  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  objections  to  the 
Duke  of  Anguein  were  his  extreme  youth  and  a  cer- 
tain crime  which  was  committed  by  another,  it  hav- 
ing been  in  his  favor  that  Casimir  had  attempted 
to  bring  the  premature  election  which  was  against 
the  most  sacred  precedent  and  law  of  the  country. 
Even  France  had  withdrawn  from  the  young  Duke 
her  protection  and  had  given  it  to  his  father,  Prince 
of  Conde.  The  son  could  only  give  promise  of 
future  merit  while  the  father  was  already  an  ae- 
complished  statesman  and  soldier,  renowned  for  the 
many  battles  in  which  he  had  been  the  victor,  never 
having  been  conquered  except  by  Turenne,  which 
was  a  defeat  but  without  in  any  way  dimming  his  well 
deserved  glory.  It  required  the  greatest  of  exertion 
and  influence  to  blast  the  chances  of  such  an  one  for 
the  crown,  but  that  blow  was  struck  by  no  less  a 
personage  than  Louis  XIV  himself,  who  had  treated 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  37 

with  the  Swedes  for  the  election  of  the  Prince, 
but  a  sudden  upheaval  had  changed  the  interests 
of  France,  the  elector  of  Jh-andeuburg  having 
identified  himself  with  his  enemies  and  made  him- 
self formidable  in  the  low  countries.  It  was  of 
great  importance  to  disunite  him  from  this  ally  and 
it  was  as  a  sop  to  him  that  the  crown  of  Poland 
was  presented  to  his  view  for  the  Duke  of  JS^ewberg, 
from  whom  the  Elector  expected  great  advantages. 
Therefore  Louis  XIV  hesitated  not  at  all  in  making 
it  known  to  the  Poles  that  he  desisted  from  his  first 
demands  and  presented  the  Duke  of  JSTewberg  for 
their  consideration. 

The  situation,  when  the  Diet  was  finally  opened 
in  the  month  of  May,  was  acute.  For,  with  the 
throne  vacant,  all  the  courts  of  justice  and  all,  in 
fact,  all  governmental  machinery,  is  at  a  standstill 
and  all  the  power  of  authority  was  transferred  to  the 
Primate,  who,  in  quality  of  interest,  had  mure 
authority  than  even  the  King,  but  as  he  had  no  time 
in  which  to  make  a  surplus  of  power  a  formidable 
weapon  the  Republic  never  objected  to  it. 

Picture  to  yourself  a  great,  free  people  going  unto 
the  Fields  of  Wola,  at  the  gates  of  Warsaw,  to  choose 
their  king.  It  must  have  been,  indeed,  an  inspiring 
sight.  All  the  nobles  of  the  kingdom  had  the  right 
of  ballot.  The  Poles  upon  one  side,  the  left  side  of 
the  Vistula,  the  Lithuanians  upon  the  opposite  bank, 


r  y  Ck  (^ 


38  THE  LIFE  OF 

each  with  its  respective  banner,  and  making  a  sort 
of  civil  army  amounting  to  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men  —  even  sometimes 
as  high  as  two  hundred  thousand  —  assembled  to- 
gether to  exercise  the  highest  act  of  freedom,  the 
right  to  vote. 

In  this  great  assemblage,  those  who  were  not  able 
to  provide  themselves  with  horse  and  sabre  stood  be- 
hind, on  foot,  and  armed  with  scythes  which  did  not 
seem  to  make  them  feel  one  whit  the  less  proud,  as 
they  had  the  same  right  of  voting  as  the  mounted, 
armed  men. 

Just  here  it  may  be  well  to  explain  that  the  title 
of  nobility,  in  Poland,  did  not  necessarily  signify 
that  the  noble  was  a  man  of  wealth  or  opulence. 
Sometimes  quite  the  contrary,  for  a  man  was  ennobled 
by  the  king  for  any  conspicuous  act  of  bravery  or  for 
any  generous  and  noble  deed.  Possession  of  land, 
learning  or  heredity  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
the  creation  of  nobles.  For  instance,  Sobieski,  after 
his  great  victory  at  Vienna  (which  was  in  1683  and 
is  anticipating  by  about  fifteen  years),  ennobled 
every  man  who  was  in  his  cavalry,  but  such  a  title  of 
nobility  could  not  extend  to  his  progeny,  still  during 
life  such  nobles  had  all  the  powers  and  privileges 
of  the  hereditary  noblemen,  for  they,  too,  were  king 
makers,  and  not  only  could  the  entire  nobility  assist 
in  making  kings,   but  by  inversing  the  law,   they 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  39 

could  unmake  them  as  well,  henco  due  provision 
was  made,  in  cases  of  emergency  or  necessity,  to  re- 
move a  king  with  the  slightest  preliminary  or  cere- 
mony. 

In  this  election,  on  the  field  of  Wola,  all  who 
openly  aspired  to  the  throne  of  Poland  were  ex- 
pressly excluded  from  the  field  of  election,  that  their 
presence  might  not  embarrass  or  in  any  way  whatso- 
ever influence  the  voters. 

The  Polish  king  must  be  elected  by  a  total  suf- 
frage, even  one  dissenting  voice  having  the  power  to 
deprive  him  of  the  crown.  As  an  instance  worthy 
to  recount,  one  noble  opposed  the  election  of  Uladis- 
lus  VII,  and  upon  being  asked  what  objection  he 
could  possibly  find,  he  coolly  replied,  "  I  will  not 
say.  That  is  my  own  concei'u.  I  will  not  permit 
him  to  be  king."  The  proclamation  was,  therefore, 
suspended  for  some  hours  and  the  interim  devoted  to 
making  an  effort  to  win  over  this  noble  who  had 
chosen  to  block  the  election.  It  was  finally  accom- 
plished and  the  king  was  most  anxious  to  know  upon 
what  the  noble  had  based  such  strong  opposition. 
His  reply  was:  "I  was  determined  to  see  whether 
the  rights  of  a  single  nobleman  against  the  entire 
voice  of  the  remaining  nobility  would  be  respected  or 
whether  it  was  an  idle  boast,  and  whether  our  liberty 
was  still  in  existence.  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  and 
you  can  depend  upon  me,  sire,  as  one  of  the  most 


40  THE  LIFE  OF 

loyal  subjects  of  the  realm." 

This  law,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us  in  an 
age  when  the  will  of  the  majority  is  decisive,  was 
after  all  perhaps  a  wise  one,  at  least  it  was  quite 
plausible  in  theory,  but  had  it  been  kept  rigorously 
Poland  could  not  have  had  such  a  thing  as  a  law- 
fully elected  king.  They  therefore  gave  up  a  real 
unanimity  and  contented  themselves  with  the  appear- 
ance of  it;  or  rather,  if  the  law  which  prescribed  it 
could  not  be  enforced  that  law  was  proscribed  and 
if  money  could  not  sufficiently  persuade  the  electors, 
then  the  assistance  of  the  saber  was  sought.  So 
ends  in  dust  and  ashes  too  finely  wrought  theories 
of  government  as  the  proper  ending  for  all  theories 
that  will  not  bear  the  light  of  practical  application. 

However,  before  the  Poles  ever  came  to  the  extrem- 
ity of  arms  to  settle  any  election,  their  elections 
were  carried  on  with  enviable  decorum  and  every  ap- 
pearance of  freedom.  The  Primate,  in  a  few  words, 
recapitulated  to  the  mounted  Nobles,  the  merits  of 
the  candidates,  setting  forth,  in  detail,  their  lives, 
their  characters,  their  achievements  and  their  quali- 
fications for  the  crown.  He  exhorted  them  to  choose 
the  most  worthy ;  invoked  Heaven,  gave  his  blessing 
to  the  assembly  and  returned  and  remained  alone 
with  the  marshal  of  the  Diet  while  the  Senators  dis- 
persed themselves  into  the  several  palatinates  to  pro- 
mote a  unanimity  of  sentiment.     If  the  effort  was 


KING  JOHN  S0T3TESKI  41 

successful,  the  Primate,  himself,  went  to  collect  the 
votes,  naming  all  the  candidates,  once  more,  and  upon 
the  name  of  their  choice  the  nobles  replied  "  Szoda," 
moaning  *'  That  is  the  man  of  our  choice,"  and  im- 
mediately the  air  resounded  with  his  name  with 
cries  of  "  Vivat  "  and  the  noise  of  pistols.  If  all 
of  the  palatinates  agreed  upon  one  name  then  the 
Primate  mounted  on  horseback  and,  amidst  the  most 
profound  silence,  succeeding  the  greatest  noise,  he 
asked,  three  successive  times,  if  all  were  satisfied. 
Upon  a  general  approbation,  he  three  times  pro- 
claimed the  King  of  Poland.  The  Grand  Marshal 
of  the  Crown  took  up  the  proclamation  and  voiced  it 
three  times  more  at  the  three  gates  of  every  camp. 
Ah,  how  glorious  a  sovereign  this,  possessed  of  royal 
qualities !  And  how  glorious  his  title  to  king  when 
given  by  the  suffrages  of  a  whole  nation. 

This  sketch  of  a  free  and  peaceful  election  is  not, 
we  regret  to  say,  what  always  occurred.  The  cor- 
ruption of  the  great;  the  fury  of  the  populace;  in- 
trigues and  factions  and,  finally,  the  corrupting 
power  of  foreign  gold,  aye,  and  of  arms  too,  some- 
times filled  the  air  with  strife  and  bloodshed. 


CHAPTER  V 

IIST  the  year  1668  the  assembly  was  already  pro- 
ceeding to  vote  and  the  decisive  moment  ap- 
proached when  Debiczski,  standard  bearer  of 
Sendomir,  a  man  venerable  for  his  sanctity  of 
manners  and  gray  hairs,  gave  the  Equestrian  Order 
to  understand  that  the  faction  of  the  Prince  of 
Conde  was  reviving ;  "  that  he  would  be  proclaimed  at 
a  time  least  expected  if  measures  were  not  speedily 
taken  to  prevent."  Immediately  the  Equestrian  Or- 
der ran  to  the  Senate  and  insisted  upon  excluding 
the  Prince.  The  demand  was  most  perplexing  and 
the  Primate  sought  his  reply  in  the  eyes  of  the  Sen- 
ators. 

Sobieski,  as  Grand  General,  should  have  been  upon 
the  Frontier,  but,  as  a  possible  aspirant,  he  was  pro- 
hibited by  the  law  from  a  seat  in  the  assembly,  but 
the  high  credit  he  had  acquired  by  his  personal  power 
seemed  to  have  raised  him  above  the  constitution, 
which  is  always  indicative  of  weakness  or  decay  in 
a  republic  where  the  laws  should,  at  all  times,  be 
more  respected  than  any  great  man,  as  the  laws  are 
(if  not,  they  are  supposed  to  be)  the  people's  will, 
and  in  a  pure  republican  form  of  government  the  will 
of  the  people  should  be  the  highest  tribunal,  else  it  is 

42 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  43 

no   longer    a   republic.     But    alas!     In    all   of   the 
world's  history  this  is  seldom  the  case.     Sometimes 
a  great  name  shorn  of  all  former  or  accompanying 
honors  has  been  the  means  of  robbing  a  nation  of  its 
liberty.     The  election  of  Louis  Napoleon  as  Presi- 
dent of  France  is  an  apt  illustration  of  this  lament- 
able fact.     At  the  time  of  his  election  to  that  high 
office,  he  had  achieved  nothing;  his  morals  were  bad; 
every  effort  he  had  made  for  fame  had  simply  ended 
in  notoriety.     He  was  utterly  wanting  in  genius,  in 
character  and  in  all  of  the  great  qualities  of  his 
great    uncle,    Napoleon    Bonaparte.     And    yet,    the 
splendors  of  the  Emperor's  name  had  so  dazzled  and 
hypnotized  the  French  peo})le  that  they  had  chosen 
him  to  bo  their  leader  on  the  very  threshold  of  their 
freedom.     Such  a  step  was  the  cause,  as  is  too  well 
known  to  reiterate,  of  their  downfall  in  three  years. 
Sobieski,  observing  the  perplexity  of  the  Primate, 
rose  up  to  speak.     It  was  to  his  interest  that  an  ex- 
clusion should  be  pronounced  against  the  Prince,  for, 
although  he  was  not  a  candidate,  that  is,  his  name 
had  not  been  mentioned,  so  far,  in  connection  wnth 
the  crown,  yet  the  natural  intuition  of  so  great  a 
mind  must  have  told  him  that  the  free  nation  might 
at  any  time  look  beyond  the  avowed  candidates  and 
that  when  it  did  it  might  be  to  himself,  as  its  de- 
liverer, that  the  eyes  of  the  voters  might  look ;  that  it 
was  more  than  probable  that  the  hero  did  flatter  him- 


44  THE  LIFE  OF 

self  with  this  ambitious  thought,  there  is  no  doubt, 
and  yet  this  is  the  manner  in  which  he  spoke: 
"  There  is  a  wide  difference  in  refusing  to  vote  for 
the  candidate  and  excluding  him.  A  refusal  is  only 
an  exercise  of  freedom;  an  exclusion  is  a  direct  af- 
front. If  the  Equestrian  Order  proposes  to  restrain, 
in  this  manner,  the  liberty  of  the  Senate,  I  will 
neither  submit  to  such  slavery  nor  have  any  share 
in  affronting  a  great  prince,  but  will  quit  the  as- 
sembly. If  the  voters  are  contented  with  refusing 
him  their  suffrages  it  is  well  known  that  I  will  al- 
ways yield  to  the  voice  of  the  electors."  But  the 
next  day  the  demand  to  exclude  the  Prince  became 
universal  so  that  the  Primate  pronounced  it  against 
his  own  opinion  and  that  of  the  Senate. 

For  a  time,  now,  tranquillity  was  restored.  The 
attention  of  the  assembly  was  next  directed  toward 
the  young  Duke  of  Newberg  and  Prince  Charles. 
Their  virtues,  their  vices,  the  good  and  the  evil  that 
the  Eepublic  might  expect  from  them  if  either  was 
chosen,  were  discussed.  It  is  at  such  a  tribunal, 
where  a  Prince  presents  himself  for  trial,  as  it  were, 
that  a  Prince  may  know  exactly  what  may  be  thought 
or  spoken  of  him,  and  Poland  was  unique  in  that  re- 
spect at  that  day.  Even  in  this  progressive  age,  the 
Emperor  of  Geitnany  and  the  Czar  of  Russia  have 
not  the  slightest  knowledge  of  the  real  sentiment  of 
their  subjects  toward  them,  as  all  expression  is  most 


KING  JOHN  S0T3TESKI  4  5 

strictly  prohibited  and  if  by  any  oversiglit  some  bold 
spirit  is  allowed  such  expression  his  utterances  and 
writings  are  quickly  suppressed. 

But,  tempting  as  such  philosophizing  is,  to  proceed 
to  the  doings  of  the  Diet,  the  Senate,  the  Deputies 
and  nearly  all  of  the  Grandees  who  were  for  the 
Duke  of  Newberg,  allowed  the  good  qualities  of  the 
Prince  of  Lorraine,  but,  after  having  softened  that 
of  his  rival,  they  boasted  much  of  his  possessions 
and  of  his  wonderful  promises  to  the  Republic.  A 
body  of  troops  maintained  at  his  own  expense,  a 
year's  pay  to  the  national  forces,  a  military  school 
for  the  young  nobility,  with  a  fund  to  assist  them 
in  traveling,  were  indeed  advantages  and  promises 
that  rolled  well  from  the  tongue,  but  Prince  Charles 
was  not  in  a  condition  to  keep  such  promises  as  his 
fortune  was  not  adequate,  the  French  having  but  re- 
cently dispossessed  his  father  of  his  dominions.  "  If 
we  refuse  him,"  added  they,  "  we  have  no  incon- 
venience to  apprehend  upon  that  account,  but  if  we 
reject  the  Duke  of  T^Tewberg  let  us  reflect  that  the 
Powers  which  have  proposed  him  have  armies  to 
make  their  wishes  commands  not  to  be  disobeyed 
without  due  consideration." 

TIero  we  have  the  vci^y'  first  intimation,  in  the  life 
of  the  Ecpublic,  not  alone  of  the  corrupting  power 
of  gold  but  of  fear  of  foreign  armed  Powers.  But 
when  that  fear  was  spoken,  as  it  had  just  been,  a 


46  'Wk     THE  LIFE  OE 

sudden  wrath  was  kindled  that  swept  throughout 
the  entire  assemblage.  The  Senate,  the  Great  Of- 
ficers and  the  Deputies  were  ill  defended  by  the 
entrenchments  that  surrounded  the  Szopa,  which  was 
then  a  vast  building  of  wood,  erected  in  the  fields 
of  Wola,  for  their  reception.  One  part  of  the  Ke- 
public  besieged  the  other.  Several  discharges  were 
made  as  a  prelude  to  what  might  follow.  The  Sena- 
tors and  Deputies  were  seen  throwing  themselves 
from  their  seats,  running  here  and  there,  or  lying 
flat  upon  the  ground  while  the  balls  whistled  over 
their  heads.  Some  arrived  at  the  gates  of  the 
camp,  but  were  received  with  a  discharge  of  fire- 
arms at  their  breasts.  Some  were  killed  and  a  large 
number  were  wounded,  and  all  forced  to  return 
to  their  places  to  preserve  their  lives.  Every  mo- 
ment the  tumult  increased  and  Potozski,  Marshal 
of  the  Diet,  interposed  to  quiet  it,  but  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  they  refrained  from  insulting 
him  and  the  uproar  continued.  Nothing  is  harder 
to  do  than  to  keep  voters,  particularly  voters  for  the 
filling  of  high  offices,  within  bounds. 

From  the  first  opening  of  this  more  than  notable 
Diet,  hardly  a  night  passed  when  persons  were  not 
assassinated  on  the  streets  of  Warsaw  or  upon  the 
field  of  election.  Sobieski  had,  upon  double  author- 
ity, the  right  to  exact  obedience,  for  as  Grand  Mar- 
shal he  was  entrusted  with  civil  authority  and  as 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  47 

Grand  General  he  had  the  army  at  his  command  and 
as  soon  as  he  exerted  his  authority  he  struck  awe 
into  the  hearts  of  the  people  at  Warsaw,  for  he 
threatened  to  send  for  troops  and  fire  upon  whatever 
party  that  might  attempt  to  disturb  or  hinder  the 
freedom  of  the  election.  The  fear  of  his  executing 
his  threats  suspended  the  rage  of  the  assembly  and 
order  was  once  more  restored  and  tranquillity  reigned 
again  over  the  field  of  Wola. 

"  To  what  purpose  — "  asked  he,  "  are  we  murder- 
ing one  another  for  Princes  whom  we  have  never 
seen,  and  in  whom  we  have  not  the  slightest  interest 
and  who,  perhaps,  in  reality  have  no  interest  in  Po- 
land, but  would  make  use  of  the  power  given  them, 
no  doubt,  to  smite  us  in  return.  Our  fathers  were 
far  more  wise.  Scarce  was  the  nation  settled  when 
it  was  divided,  as  we  see  it  now,  among  a  number 
of  foreign  candidates.  The  calamities  which  then 
threatened  restored  the  use  of  reason.  A  native  of 
Poland  was  chosen  and  this  man,  who  had  neither 
birth,  nor  prestige  nor  fortune,  governed  with  such 
freedom  and  wisdom  that  to  this  day  every  Polish 
king  is  called  Piast  out  of  gratitude  to  that  one. 
Let  us  leave  the  Duke  of  Newberg  to  govern  his 
large  family  and  small  dominions.  Let  the  Prince 
of  I>orraine  employ  his  money  in  recovering  his  he- 
reditary territories.  Let  us  imitate  our  forefathers 
and  choose  a  Piast." 


48  KING  JOHN  SOBTESKI 

This  is  not  the  first  instance  in  the  world's  history 
when  a  wise  speech  has  calmed  an  excited  and  tu- 
multuous crowd.  But  what  Piast  to  choose  was  a 
difficulty  not  easily  overcome.  The  assembly,  as  one 
man  it  seemed,  turned  its  eyes  upon  Sobieski,  but 
if  at  this  point  he  had  flattered  himself  that  the 
crown  was  his  for  the  taking,  his  illusion  was  of  short 
duration.  The  more  one  reflects  upon  history, 
ancient  or  modern,  the  more  he  will  believe  that  hu- 
man affairs  are  the  sport  of  fortune.  The  man 
whom  she  secretly  destined  for  the  throne  of  Po- 
land at  this  time  was  one  upon  whom  the  public 
had  given  no  thought.  He,  in  fact,  was  so  little  in- 
terested in  the  election  that  he  was  not  found  in  his 
tent,  but  in  a  convent  at  Warsaw  and  his  name  was 
Michael  Wiesnowieski.  The  two  palatines,  Opalin- 
ski  and  one  other,  conducted  him  to  the  field  of  elec- 
tion, without  informing  him  of  their  design,  and 
there  they  proposed  and  nominated  him.  Olsowski, 
the  Bishop  of  Culm  and  the  Vice-Chancellor  of  Po- 
land, cried  out  in  an  enthusiastic  strain,  "  Long 
live  King  Michael."  The  cry  flew,  immediately, 
from  mouth  to  mouth ;  all  the  orders  repeated  it  and 
nothing  was  wanting  but  the  Primate's  proclamation. 
The  Nobles  forced  him  to  it  vdth  a  pistol  at  his 
breast  and  Wiesnowieski  was  King. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  man  most  surprised  in  the  result  of  the 
election  was  Wiesnowieski  EimselXl__He 
wept  as  they  dragged  him  to  the  throne 
ai;d  protested  that  he  was  iaca^iable_of 
filling  it  and  the  truth  is  that  he  was  nptjanda  fur- 
ther truth  is  that_  sj.nce  the  Poles  had- rejccted^^l 
foreign  candidates  and  had  determined, upon  choos- 
ing a  Piast  Tt  would~seem'tEat  they  should  not  have 
hesifateiJ^for  X~niom^O)etwecn^  WiesnowresT^^  and 
■Sobieski.  Wiesnowieski  was  scarce  thirty  years  of 
age;  Sobieski,  ten  years  his  senior,  had  nearly 
reached  that  maturity  of  age  which  is  so  essential  in 
the  ruler  of  a  country.  Wiesnowieski's  youth  had 
been  totally  unemployed;  Sobieski's  had  been  spent 
in  traveling,  in  the  study  of  public  business  and  in 
the  fatigues,  hardships  and  exposures  of  war. 
Wiesnowieski  had  held  no  office  in  the  state;  Sobi- 
eski had  obtained  the  highest  by  acts  of  distinction 
and  glory  and  still  went  on  to  acquire  new  victories, 
new  glories,  new  honors,  new  trium])lis.  Wiesnowie- 
ski even  lacked  that  importance  which  riches  are  sup- 
posed to  confer.  He  was  poor  in  purse,  living,  here- 
tofore, upon  a  pension  bestowed  by  Queen  Louisa, 
and  upon  the  liberality  of  the  Bishop  of  Plocsko; 

49 


50  THE  LIFE  OF 

Sobieski  had  a  vast  estate,  one  of  the  largest  in  Po- 
land and  possessed  a  large  number  of  vassals. 
Wiesnowieski  came  to  the  election  with  the  crowd 
of  ISTobles  to  join  his  suffrage  with  theirs;  Sobieski, 
the  first  personage  of  the  Republic,  under  the  king, 
seemed  to  present  himself  rather  to  receive  the  boon 
at  the  hands  of  the  assemblage  than  to  assist  in  giv- 
ing it  to  another  man.  One  circumstance,  only, 
spoke  in  favor  of  the  new  King,  and  that  was  his 
birth.  He  descended  from  Koribut,  uncle  of  the 
Great  Jagellon ;  his  father  was  Jeremiah  Wiesnowie- 
ski, palatine  of  Russia  and  who,  although  having 
been  possessed  of  a  vast  estate  in  the  Ukraine,  had 
been  stripped  of  it  by  the  Cossacks  and  thereby  left 
his  son,  Michael,  almost  penniless,  with  nothing  more 
than  a  distinguished  name,  however  empty,  but  no 
distinguished  name,  however  worthy  the  ancestry, 
was  supposed  to  aspire  to  such  high  honors  unless 
fitted  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  the  same. 

Never  was  there  a  king  who  needed,  nay  wanted 
perhaps,  more  to  be  governed  than  poor  Michael 
Wiesnowieski,  and  in  this  case,  as  in  innumerable 
others,  a  weakling  has  always  a  crafty,  wily  Mephisto 
waiting  to  be  called  upon.  The  man  ready  and  will- 
ing to  get  the  government  into  his  own  hands  was 
Casimir  Paz,  Grand  Chancellor  of  Lithuania,  and 
he  possessed  all  of  Michael's  confidence. 

N'ow  Casimir  Paz  was  not  exactly  unprincipled, 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  51 

but  he  was  possessed  of  an  inordinate  ambition  which 
sometimes  overweighed  his  love  of  country,  and  to 
which  was  bent  his  great  abilities  as  a  cultivated  gen- 
tleman and  superior  orator,  and  withal  selfish,  he 
soon  thought  of  promoting  the  interests  of  his  own 
family  rather  than  those  of  his  country. 

Sobieski,  however,  stood  up  once  more  in  defense 
of  Poland  and  prevented  her  from  being  despoiled 
and  ravaged. 

The  Cossacks,  notwithstanding  the  peace  they  had 
made  with  the  Kopublic  during  the  reign  of  Casimir, 
began  to  entertain  grave  suspicion  as  to  the  designs 
of  the  new  king,  ]\[ichacl.  They  feared  that  he 
might  have  a  mind  to  recover  the  possessions  of  his 
family  in  the  Ukraine,  as  well  as  of  the  other  Po- 
lish Nobility  who  had  been  robbed  of  their  estates. 
To  dispel  these  fears,  the  Cossacks  demanded  a  re- 
nunciation of  these  claims,  and  the  Poles,  on  their 
side,  were  most  unwilling  to  begin  a  war  at  a  time 
when  the  Kingdom  was  greatly  exhausted.  What 
was  needed,  at  this  critical  period,  was  a  diplomat 
who  had  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  Cossacks 
as  well  as  the  implicit  confidence  of  the  King. 
There  was  only  one  person  who  seemed  capable  of 
filling  the  bill  so  far  as  both  sides  were  concerned, 
but  for  reasons,  which  we  shall  soon  show,  the  King 
(lid  not  desire  to  exalt  that  nnin  to  the  high  diplo- 
matic post,  although  it  was  assumed  to  be  but  a  tem- 


52  THE  LIFE  OF 

porary  honor  that  would  be  required  of  any  one.  ^ 
Unfortunately  for  all,  the  young  king  had  hardly 
been  made  the  chief  ruler  when  he  began  to  grow 
jealous  of  the  National  Idol,  for  he  knew  that  he 
was  not  only  idolized,  but  that  he  was  loved  far 
more  than  he,  the  King,  might  ever  hope  to  be,  and 
the  leader  of  the  almost  rebellious  Cossacks,  that 
same  Doroscensko  whom  Sobieski  had  already  beaten, 
was  inflexible.  It  became  necessary,  so  deemed  the 
King,  to  have  recourse  to  arms,  that  last  resource 
of  Kings  which  has  spilt  so  much  blood,  needlessly, 
ever  since  the  time  when  men  first  began  to  put  up 
masters  over  their  heads.  Sobieski,  warrior  that  he 
was,  shed  as  little  as  possible  for  he  rightly  consid- 
ered the  blood  of  the  Cossacks  as  belonging  to  the 
Republic,  since  they  had  really  been  good  subjects 
before  the  Poles  had  made  bad  slaves  of  them.  It 
has  been  so  hard  for  conquering  nations  to  believe 
that  more  is  gained,  after  conquest  of  arms,  by  kind, 
humane  and  just  treatment  than  by  imposing  double 
burdens  upon  the  conquered  who  are  already  smart- 
ing under  the  sting  of  the  lash  of  learning  to  sub- 
ject themselves  to  new  rulers  and,  perhaps,  also, 
strange  customs.  Another  cause  for  the  mild  treat- 
ment which  Sobieski  accorded  the  Cossacks  was  that 
his  own  troops  were  so  depleted  that  he  had  recourse 
to  artfully  sowing  divisons  among  the  Cossacks 
themselves.     He  set  up  new  leader  against  old ;  Han- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  53 

ensko  against  Doroscensko.  He  reduced  to  the  obe- 
dience of  Poland  the  cities  of  Bar,  Nimirow,  Kalnic 
and  Braslaw  and  all  the  country  between  the  Bog  and 
the  Xiester.  Doroscensko  having  been  entirely  over- 
powered, had  no  way  of  saving  the  balance  of  the 
Ukraine  but  by  threatening  to  give  it  over  to  the 
Turks,  if  ho  was  driven  to  extremities,  and  this 
threat  made  Sobieski  suspend  operations. 

The  congratulations  that  Sobieski  received  showed 
])lainly  the  importance  of  the  campaign.  ''  We  can- 
not sutticiently  admire  your  valor  and  prudence  in 
this  expedition.  With  such  a  handful  of  men  how 
could  you  recover  so  many  towns  and  cities,  and  par- 
ticularly Braclaw,  which  alone  is  a  worthy  victory. 
You  have  opened  to  us  a  passage  into  the  Ukraine 
and  will,  doubtless,  complete  its  destruction.  Even 
envy  itself  is  forced  to  own  that  Poland  is  indebted 
to  you  for  its  safety."  These  are  the  terms  in  which 
the  Vice-Chancellor  wTote  Sobieski  in  the  name  of 
the  King  and  the  entire  Republic,  and  in  this  man- 
ner the  Grand  General  took  his  revenge  for  having 
missed  the  crown.  And  what  a  noble  revenge  it 
was.  How  few  examples  we  have  of  such  sublime 
self  renunciation,  which  was  anything  but  renuncia- 
tion, for,  was  not  he  steadily  gaining  and  growing 
in  the  love  of  an  already  worshipful  and  grateful 
people?  It  is  no  wonder  that  he  was  destined  to 
write  his  name  so  high,  not  only  as  a  soldier,  but  as 


54  THE  LIFE  OF 

the  wisest  and  best  of  conquerors  and  Kings. 

However,  Sobieski  insisted  that,  without  abusing 
the  privileges  of  victory,  to  which  belongs  the  spoils, 
the  Poles  should  treat  the  Cossacks  with  kindness 
and  consideration  so  that,  eventually,  they  might 
look  upon  their  subjection  as  a  blessing.  He  sought 
to  bring  them  back  to  allegiance  by  clemency,  and  the 
alluring  hopes  of  future  prosperity.  Had  this  ad- 
vice of  Sobieski  been  followed,  how  much  blood  and 
treasure  might  have  been  spared,  and  in  after  years 
Poland  would  not  have  had  fall  upon  her  such  evil 
days. 

This  idea  of  treating  the  Cossacks  with  clemency 
was  also  the  opinion  of  the  Deputies  and  of  the 
greater  portion  of  the  Diet,  but  the  King  and  his 
council  thought  differently. 

The  reign  of  Michael  was  the  reign  of  favorites, 
as  is  the  reign  of  every  weakling,  and  his  Council 
was  made  up  of  pensioners  to  the  Emperor  Leopold, 
the  Austrian,  whose  sister  Michael  had  lately  mar- 
ried. And  as  Leopold  was  apprehensive  of  a  for- 
midable invasion  which  was  then  preparing  in  Tur- 
key, he  had  devised  a  plan  which  was  likely  to  divert 
it  upon  Poland.  He  therefore  had  no  difficulty  in 
pursuading  the  Polish  monarch  that  all  negotiations 
with  the  rebel  Cossacks  were  no  less  dangerous  than 
mean  and  beneath  the  dignity  of  his  high  and  com- 
manding position.     He  also  had  no  difficulty  in  mak- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  66 

ing  Michael  believe  that  to  pardon  Doroscensko  was 
to  weaken  the  royal  authority.  ^Michael  thought 
himself  great  by  showing  himself  a  weak  tool  in  the 
hands  of  the  crafty  Austrian. 

Doroscensko,  by  some  means,  was  soon  made  aware 
of  the  attitude  of  the  King,  and,  fearing  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  a  provoked  sovereign,  he  went  to  Con- 
stantinople to  make  terms  with  the  Turkish  ruler. 

The  conditions  in  Turkey  were,  briefly,  these: 
Mahomet  IV,  on  his  way  to  the  throne,  had  passed 
over  the  body  of  his  father,  Ibrahini  I,  ..whojiL.ihe 
janizaries  had  strangled.  He  bad  never  yet  ap- 
pearcd  in  person  at  the  head  of  Ids  armies^. but  his 
successes  seemed  unalterable  under  the  nianagemeiit 
Qf_  the  Grand-Vizier,  Cuprogli^.a^^man.  of  abilities 
equally  exalted  with  his  station.  The  Turks  who 
never  gave  place  to  seiitlment  made  exception  for 
Cijj3rogli,  and  termed  him  "  The  Light  of"i^ations," 
"  TheJGuardian  of  the  Laws,"  '^The  Formidable 
Commander."  " 

The  saying  of  Montecuculi,  upon  retiring  from 
public  life,  when  his  rivals  finished  their  course  is 
well  known,  and  also  serves  as  the  best  possible  defi- 
nition of  the  standing  of  Cuprogli.  "  Should  a  man 
who  has  had  the  honor  of  fighting  with  Turenne, 
Conde  and  Cuprogli  hazard  his  glory  against  per- 
sons who  are  only  beginning  to  command  armies  ?  " 
but  that  was  as  resrards  the  militarv  character  of 


\ 

\ 


5^  THE  LIFE  OF 

Cuprogli  which  was  all  that  Montecuculi  had  any 
knowledge  of. 

Cuprogli  reflected  upon  the  offer  which  Doroscen- 
sko  made  in  which  it  was  designed  to  conquer  Po- 
land, deferring  until  another  campaign  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Empire  of  Vienna,  as  a  victory  which 
would  be  facilitated  by  the  conquest  of  Poland. 

Hereupon  a  manifesto  was  immediately  addressed 
to  Poland,  and  it  was  necessary,  without  delay,  to  fix 
upon  some  expedient  for  saving  the  Eepublic.  In 
the  Senate,  Sobieski  spoke  with  great  warmth  upon 
the  advisability  of  appeasing  the  Cossacks  and 
pointed  out  the  articles  in  which  Poland  might  make 
concession,  but  there  is  no  such  thing  as  persuading 
weak  minds,  much  less  princes  who  are  accustomed 
to  no  distinction  between  might  and  right.  Michael 
persisted  in  his  obstinacy  and  returned  the  Porte  no 
answer  as  if  the  menaces  were  of  no  consequence. 

From  this  period  may  be  dated  the  inception  of 
the  league  which  was  formed  to  dethrone  Michael. 
It  is  a  maxim  —  we  repeat  —  with  the  Poles  that 
whatever  people  has  the  right  to  make  its  king  has 
also  the  right  to  unmake  him.  So  that  what,  in  other 
countries  might  be  called  a  conspiracy  was  merely 
looked  upon  as  a  national  privilege.  Among  the 
chiefs  of  this  league  were  the  Primates,  Prazmowski, 
Sienawski,  the  Great  Standard  Bearer,  Lubormirski, 
Palatine  of  Cracow,  Ledchinski,  of  Masovia,  Potoski, 


KING  JOHN  SOPJESKI  67 

of  Kiovia,  Vielopolski  and  other  nobles  of  equal  im- 
portance. The  enterprise  was  nothing  like  as  haz- 
ardous as  it  would  have  been  in  hereditary  king- 
doms, but  yet  it  had  its  dangers. 

The  confederated  nobles  thought  it  proper  to  show 
their  regard  to  the  Emperor  Leopold  by  acquaint- 
ing him  with  their  designs  particularly  on  account 
of  his  sister  who  shared  the  Polish  throne  with  Mi- 
chael. They  therefore  laid  before  Leopold  all  the 
grievances  of  the  state  and  poor  Michael's  inca- 
pacity to  govern. 

Ill  proud  and  haughty  nations  a  lawful  king  who 
is  despised  totters  upon  his  throne  while  usurpers 
who  are  esteemed  sit  firmly.  The  English  never 
thought  of  deposing  Cromwell ;  for  Cromwell  had 
humbled  Holland,  prescribed  the  conditions  of  a 
treaty  with  Portugal,  beaten  the  Spaniards,  forced 
France  to  court  his  alliance  and  given  the  empire  of 
the  seas  and  of  commerce  to  England :  France  never 
thought  of  deposing  Napoleon  for  Napoleon  had 
carried  the  eagle  of  France  triumphant  into  every 
capital  of  continental  Europe.  He  had  made  the 
name  of  France  both  glorious  and  one  to  be  feared 
by  his  wonderful  achievements,  but  as  for  Michael 
—  he  was  fit  for  nothing  but  to  ruin  Poland. 


CHAPTER  VII 

HITHERTO  the  Confederated  Nobles, 
uncertain  of  Sobieski,  whose  conduct 
seemed  to  indicate  an  unwillingness  to 
break  with  the  Court,  had  communi- 
cated nothing  to  him  of  their  design,  but,  having  re- 
flected upon  the  necessity  of  gaining  him  over,  they 
now  laid  their  plan  before  him.  The  part  that  So- 
bieski  should  take  either  for  or  against  this  would, 
in  all  probability,  decide  the  fate  of  the  King  or  the 
kingdom.  With  all  the  weight  of  his  dignities  as 
Grand  General  and  Grand  Marshal,  and  at  the  head 
of  an  army  which  thought  itself  invincible  when 
headed  by  him,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  king- 
dom against  its  weak  and  misguided  King.  But 
whether  Sobieski,  w-hen  he  decided  upon  the  deposi- 
tion of  Michael,  aimed  at  fixing  the  attention  of  the 
nation  upon  himself,  or  whether  he  had  nothing  in 
view  but  the  public  good,  it  is  certain  that  he  repre- 
sented to  the  Nobles  just  how  dangerous  it  would 
be  to  take  Leopold's  nomination  of  a  king  and,  in 
conformity  with  the  love  he  always  bore  France,  he 
proposed  the  Duke  of  Longueville  whose  only  merit 
lay  in  valor  which,  alone,  will  never  make  a  great 
ruler.     The    Confederacy    was    too    anxious    for    a 

58 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  59 

change  and  to  overthrow  the  present  incumbent  to 
weigh  things  as  carefully  as  they  might  have  done, 
and  trusted  implicitly  and  acquiesced  to  the  pro- 
posal. They  made  the  utmost  expedition  to  make 
their  wants  known  to  France  and  the  thing  was  done 
with  so  much  secrecy  by  Sobieski  that  neither  the 
Court  of  Vienna  nor  the  Court  at  Warsaw  had  the 
slightest  suspicions  as  to  what  was  going  on. 

The  abrupt  dissolution  of  the  last  Diet,  the  one 
in  1672,  furnished  the  conspirators  with  a  well 
grounded  pretext  of  calling  another,  and  the  King 
dared  not  refuse,  more  especially  as  it  was  become 
necessary  to  put  the  Republic  in  arms,  as  it  was 
learned  that  the  Turks  were  actually  upon  the 
march. 

Never  was  a  king  treated  in  so  unbecoming  a 
manner  before  his  subjects.  The  Primate,  taking 
advantage  of  the  ferment,  addressed  Michael  in 
terms  such  as  would  have  been,  in  an  absolute  mon- 
archy, nothing  short  of  high  treason,  and  while  he 
was  still  speaking,  the  Nobles,  whose  number  was 
greatly  increased  in  the  national  assembly,  signified 
to  Michael  that  it  was  the  desire  that  he  should  vol- 
untarily abdicate  at  once  and  that  if  he  failed  to  do 
this  ho  would  be  forced  to  at  the  point  of  the  bay- 
onet. 

As  soon  as  Michael  saw  that  Sobieski  was  in  the 
league    against   him    he    despaired    of    holding    the 


60  THE  LIFE  OF 

crown  and  the  catastrophe  daily  approached  nearer 
and  nearer.  The  splendid  equipages  advanced  to- 
ward the  sea  coast  in  order  to  receive  the  Duke  of 
Longueville,  whom  they  destined  for  the  crown,  but 
that  Prince  was  still  upon  the  banks  of  the  Ehine, 
which  Louis  XIV  was  attempting  to  pass,  and 
where  every  one  knows  that  the  Duke  met  his  death 
by  wantonly  firing  a  pistol  upon  some  Dutchmen 
who  begged  their  lives  upon  their  knees.  "  Those 
scoundrels"  (to  make  use  of  his  own  expression), 
to  whom  he  ordered  the  French  to  give  no  quarter, 
gave  him  none.  Thereby'  the  Duke  of  Longueville 
realized  the  truth  of  the  saying  of  Jesus  — "  As  you 
mete  it  out  to  others  so  shall  it  be  meted  unto  you." 
And  with  his  death  was  ended  the  branch  of  Or- 
leans-Longueville.  The  death  of  the  Duke  utterly 
disconcerted  the  League  and  gave  renewed  hope  to 
Michael. 

The  King,  somewhat  uncertain  as  to  whether  he 
was  still  King  or  no,  assembled  all  the  nobility  of 
the  lower  order,  amounting  to  several  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  in  the  field  of  Golemba,  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Vistula,  in  the  palatinate  of  Lublin.  He  had 
formerly  been  one  of  their  body  and  lived  upon  a 
level  with  them,  and  to  them  he  was,  principally, 
indebted  for  the  scepter.  By  them  he  was  beloved 
as  an  equal  and  respected  as  a  king.  He  chose 
Steven  Czameski  for  Marshal  of  the  Koyal  Confed- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  61 

eracy,  with  power  to  raise  a  new  army  and  restore 
the  ancient  militia,  called  Ilastata  on  account  of  the 
lance  with  which  it  was  armed. 

Poland  acknowledged  but  two  grand  generals,  but 
the  action  of  the  King  in  creating  Czarneslci  a  grand 
general  made  the  third,  and  indeed  a  great  deal  more 
than  the  ordinary  grand  general  was  he,  for,  being 
armed  with  the  thunder  of  war,  and  the  sword  of 
justice,  he  was,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  dicta- 
tor who  could  acquit  or  condemn  at  pleasure.  The 
Royal  Confederates  took  an  oath  to  maintain  Michael 
upon  the  throne  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives  and  for- 
tunes, and  the  sacredness  of  an  oath  was  as  much 
respected  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  Poland  as 
it  had  been  with  their  ancestors,  the  Samartians. 

The  Senators  and  all  persons  holding  office  were 
summoned  to  join  the  Royal  Confederacy  within  a 
limited  time,  upon  the  pain  of  confiscation  of  their 
goods  and  loss  of  dignity  if  they  failed  to  do  so. 
The  time  allowed  was  very  short,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  stern  resolution  of  Sobioski  they  must  all 
have  thrown  themselves  at  the  feet  of  their  pro- 
voked monarch  and  his  right  hand,  the  dictator,  and 
begged  for  mercy  and  clemency,  but  Sobieaki  knew 
too  well  that  neither  would  bo  sho^^^l  and  that  their 
only  safety  lay  in  pursuing  the  opposition. 

The  Grand  Marshal,  Sobieski,  assembled  the  army, 
which  now  formed  a  most  formidable  confederacy, 


62  THE  LIFE  OF 

opposed  oath  to  oath,  in  the  name  of  God  and  So- 
bieski,  to  maintain  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
nation  as  delivered  down  to  them  from  those  an- 
cient warriors  who  had  sealed  them  with  their  blood. 

Whilst  the  Republic  was  thus  arming  itself  for 
civil  war,  Mohammed  advanced,  like  an  angry  sea,  to 
overwhelm  Poland.  The  King,  instead  of  going  to 
meet  the  Turks  with  the  hundred  thousand  Nobles 
which  supported  his  tottering  throne  and  shovdng 
by  such  conduct  that  he  deserved  to  reign,  was  em- 
ployed in  prosecuting  the  first  subjects  of  his  king- 
dom with  all  the  severity  of  the  law.  Confiscation 
of  goods,  loss  of  honors  and  dignities,  degradation 
from  the  ranks  of  nobility  was  decreed  against  all; 
but  against  the  leaders  of  the  League,  was  pro- 
nounced, in  addition,  a  sentence  of  death.  Of  the 
latter  class  was  Sobieski  and  the  Primates  and,  to 
complete  the  whole,  a  price  was  set  upon  their  heads. 

At  this  news  the  soldiery  gave  a  shout  of  indig- 
nation against  the  King  and  the  Confederated 
loobies;  then,  laying  their  sabers  in  the  form  of 
crosses,  swore  to  avenge  and  defend  their  General. 

It  was  necessary  that  such  a  man  as  Sobieski  had 
become  should,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  struggle, 
either  perish  or  become  the  first  man  in  the  King- 
dom. "  I  accept  your  protestations,"  he  said,  "  but 
first  let  us  defend  our  country." 

Sobieski  foresaw  that  Mohammed  would  open  a 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  63 

campaign  with  the  siege  of  Kamieniec,  capital  of  Po- 
dolia,  a  place  still  stronger  by  nature  than  by  art. 
It  had  been  in  all  the  centuries  the  bulwark  of  Po- 
land against  the  Turks  and  the  Tartars.  Sobieski 
sent  thither  eight  regiments  of  infantry  to  reenforce 
the  garrison,  but  the  Governor,  who  was  wholly  de- 
voted to  the  Iving,  was  afraid  that  these  troops  would 
give  Sobieski  too  great  authority  in  the  place  and 
therefore  refused  to  admit  them,  a  fatal  effect  of 
the  civil  dissension. 

To  make  matters  worse,  Mohammed  appeared  be- 
fore Kamieniec  with  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men  about  the  end  of  July.  In  addition,  a  hundred 
thousand  Tartars  arrived  there,  by  his  direction,  at 
the  same  time  so  that  his  army  totalled  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand,  commanded  upon  this  occasion 
by  Cham-Selim-Gcirai  in  person.  For  a  long  time 
the  nation  had  had  no  such  distinguished  a  com- 
manding officer,  nor  such  an  able  leader  both  in  war 
and  peace.  The  Turkish  generals  paid  great  heed 
to  his  judgment,  and,  with  him  at  the  head,  the  Tar- 
tars would  imdertake  anything.  In  another  coun- 
try he  would  have  introduced  politeness,  letters  and 
arts,  for  whenever  he  could  lay  aside  the  saber  he 
took  up  the  pen,  and  Cantemir  calls  him  an  excel- 
lent philosopher  and  historian. 

Cham-Selim  Geirai  had  for  lieutenant-generals 
his  two  sons.   Sultan  Galga  and  Sultan  Nuradin. 


64  THE  LIFE  OF 

Scarce  had  they  paid  their  respects  to  the  Grand- 
Siegnior  than  he  ordered  them  to  make  incursions 
as  far  as  the  Vistula  while  the  Cossacks,  stimulated 
by  resentment,  carried  desolation  on  another  side. 
Mohammed  was  the  idol  of  this  great  multitude 
which  exhausted  the  earth  but  Cuprogli  was  its  soul. 

Sobieski,  with  thirty-five  thousand  troops,  could 
not  give  battle  to  the  Turks,  before  Kamieniec,  with 
their  overwhelming  forces.  He,  therefore,  aban- 
doned this  fortress  to  its  horrible  fate,  for  it  was  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  stem  the  stream  of  Tar- 
tars which  was  making  its  way  toward  the  very 
heart  of  the  Kingdom. 

We  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  hundred  thousand 
soldiers  under  the  King  at  Golemba,  and  Sobieski 
with  his  small  troops  at  Lovicz.  An  imprudent 
step  of  ]^uradin  discovered  to  the  Turks  upon  which 
side  lay  true  courage  and  regard  for  the  welfare  of 
Poland.  The  young  Tartar,  as  he  coasted  the  pala- 
tinate of  Lubin,  took  his  course  between  the  two 
armies  in  camps  two.  The  King  and  his  generals 
took  it  into  their  heads  that  this  movement  was 
planned  in  concert  with  Sobieski  and  the  alarm  felt 
was  so  great  that  the  King  did  not  feel  himself  safe 
surrounded  with  a  hundred  thousand  armed  ISTobles, 
but  took  refuge  within  the  walls  of  Lubin,  a  town 
about  six  leagues  distant  from  where  he  was  en- 
camped, and  the  Nobles  dispersed. 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  65 

Sobieski,  having  nothing  further  to  fear  from  his 
ovvn  countrymen,  displayed  all  his  greatness.  The 
man  who  had  just  been  condemned  to  death  did  his 
utmost  to  save  his  judges.  He  went  in  search  of 
the  Tartars  wherever  they  appeared.  His  first  vic- 
tim was  Nuradin,  whom  ho  overtook  and  defeated 
at  the  gates  of  Krasnabrod,  a  village  in  the  palatinate 
of  Lublin.  The  victory  was  so  complete  that  the 
General  escaped  almost  alone  to  the  army  of  his 
brother,  Sultan  Galga,  who,  to  avoid  a  like  disaster, 
marched  towards  the  Niester,  in  order  to  join  forces 
with  the  Cham,  but  he  was  prevented  by  the  amazing 
diligence  of  Sobieski  and  his  loss  exceeded  that  of 
his  brother.  The  plain  of  Nimirow  was  covered 
with  Tartars,  breathing  their  last  upon  the  booty 
they  had  carried  away. 

Sobieski,  leaving  his  infantry  with  the  baggage, 
followed  the  fleeing  army  with  his  cavalry. 

Another  battle  was  fought  at  Grudec  and  another 
at  Komarna,  whence  the  two  sultans  had  escaped 
again  in  the  utmost  disorder.  Having  passed  the 
Niester,  they  ex])ected  to  have  some  respite  with  the 
shattered  remnant  of  their  forces,  but  Sobieski  was 
tireless  in  their  pursuit ;  they  then  threw  themselves 
across  two  other  rivers,  the  Stry  and  the  Chevitz, 
which  Sobieski  also  passed.  At  length  the  two 
sultans  joined  their  father. 

The  Cham,  who  had  as  yet  been  in  no  engage- 


66  THE  LIFE  OF 

ment,  was  strong  enough  to  avenge  his  two  sons, 
but,  being  intimidated  by  their  disasters,  and  still 
more  solicitous  over  his  vast  plunder,  its  safety  and 
preservation,  which,  however,  embarrassed  his  army, 
rendering  it  that  much  less  fit  for  service  on  the 
field,  he  sought  only  to  avoid  an  engagement.  This 
plunder,  being  the  spoils,  interested  Sobieski  still 
more  than  it  did  the  Tartar,  for,  besides  furs,  silver 
and  gold,  the  Tartars  were  carrying  off  vast  herds 
of  cattle,  both  for  war  and  agriculture,  and  thirty 
thousand  slaves  of  all  ages,  sex  and  conditions,  most 
of  whom  were  usually  employed  in  tillage.  The 
least  valuable  portion  of  the  spoil  was  a  number  of 
monks. 

The  Cham  kept  fleeing  but  Sobieski  never  lost 
sight  of  him  for  a  single  hour,  and,  having  more 
experience  than  the  Tartars,  waited  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  attack  him  with  advantage.  He  found 
it,  at  last,  at  Kallusa,  at  the  foot  of  the  Crapec 
mountains,  in  a  narrow  pass  where  the  enemy  had 
not  room  to  draw  up  their  troops.  The  battle  was 
very  fierce  and  bloody  for  the  Cham  left  upon  the 
field  some  fifteen  thousand  of  his  troops  and  all  of 
his  booty.  It  was  an  affecting,  and  no  doubt  a  most 
gratifying,  sight  to  the  patriotic  Sobieski  when  the 
irons  were  taken  from  the  thirty  thousand  Poles  and 
put  upon  the  Tartars  who  were  taken  after  the  ac- 
tion. 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  67 

The  multitude  of  unhappy  wretches  whom  Sobi- 
eski  had  recovered  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  see- 
ing home,  wife  and  kindred,  but  now,  filled  with 
gratitude  for  their  deliverance,  they  fell  prostrate 
before  their  deliverer  who,  himself,  fell  prostrate  be- 
fore the  God  of  battle. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

POLAND  was  now  delivered  from  the  Tar- 
tars but  not  from  the  Turks.  But  if  the 
hundred  thousand  nobles  had  attacked  the 
Turks  while  Sobieski  pressed  upon  the 
Tartars  who  knows  if  Kamieniec  might  not  have  been 
saved  ? 

The  Turks  were  perfectly  acquainted  with  sieges 
before  the  Christians.  At  that  of  Candy  they  made 
parallel  lines  in  their  trenches.  Upon  the  present 
occasion  Cuprogli  applied  all  his  knowledge  of  the 
military  art.  For  nearly  a  month  an  enormous  train 
of  artillery  had  been  playing  upon  the  place  so  that 
nothing  was  left  but  a  heap  of  ruins  and  the  rocks 
upon  which  they  stood.  This  rock,  however,  was 
accessible  only  by  means  of  a  bridge,  and  the  Vizier 
shuddered  when  he  considered  the  Mussulman  blood 
that  must  be  shed,  in  an  assault  upon  Kamieniec. 
He,  therefore,  took  advantage  of  the  Governor's  blun- 
der. He  knew,  as  it  was  his  business  to  know  such 
things,  that  when  the  Governor  had  refused  admit- 
tance to  Sobieski  and  his  soldiery  he  had  admitted  all 
the  nobility  of  Podolia,  men,  women  and  children, 
who  made  his  position  more  precarious  than  it  might 
otherwise  have  been.     The  Vizier  had  recourse  to 

68 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  69 

bombs  which,  falling  into  such  a  small  area  which 
was  overcrowded,  heaped  the  dead  upon  the  dying. 
The  cries  of  the  women  and  children  enervated  the 
soldiers  and  slackened  the  vigor  of  the  defense,  but 
there  was  no  talk  of  surrendering.  Cuprogli  next 
employed  another  means  of  inflicting  torture  and 
terror.  IIo  gave  the  besieged  to  understand  that 
if  the  place  was  not  surrendered  wntliin  twenty-four 
hours  that  all  should  be  put  to  the  sword,  old  and 
young,  down  to  the  very  infant  at  the  breast.  This 
menace,  accompanied  by  every  indication  of  prepa- 
ration for  a  general  storm,  struck  terror  into  every 
heart  and  a  parley  was  arranged  and  held  on  the 
20th  of  August. 

A  major  of  artillery,  enraged  at  the  surrender  of 
a  place  which  might  have  been  better  defended, 
resolved  not  to  survive  so  great  a  loss.  At  the  en- 
trance to  the  bridge  there  was  a  large  tower  that 
served  for  a  powder  magazine.  In  this  he  placed 
a  match  and  mounted  the  platform  from  where  he 
saw  the  Turks  enter  the  place  and  the  Poles  run  out 
to  implore  mercy  of  the  besiegers.  The  magazine 
soon  blew  up  and  buried  the  officer  who  had  fired  it, 
with  all  else  who  were  within  a  certain  distance, 
both  Turks  and  Poles,  in  the  burning  ruins.  The 
deed  was  indeed  a  brave  one,  but  the  Poles  who  es- 
caped had  great  difficulty  obtaining  a  pardon  for 
the  crime  of  which  they  were  not  only  innocent  but 


YO  THE  LIFE  OF 

ignorant. 

Mohammed  was  now  master  of  Kamieniec  and  Po- 
dolia.  He  sent  garrisons  into  all  the  places  of  the 
Ukraine  which  was  possessed  by  the  Cossacks.  The 
Poles,  or  rather  that  faction  of  Poland,  which  had 
oppressed  the  Cossacks  repented,  but  the  repentance 
was  too  tardy  to  undo  the  mischief  still  to  be  done 
by  the  Cossacks.  Misfortune  did  not,  however,  end 
with  this  move  upon  the  part  of  the  Turkish  gen- 
erals, for,  elated  at  so  much  victory,  the  Sultan  re- 
solved to  push  his  armies  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
Kingdom.  Each  day  but  added  its  new  disaster  to 
the  previous  day's  toll. 

Sobieski  brought  back  his  victorious  troops  from 
the  foot  of  the  Crapac  mountains,  which  divide  Po- 
land from  Moldavia,  Transylvania  and  Hungary. 
At  this  juncture  if  he  had  decided  to  get  himself 
proclaimed  King  he  would,  probably,  have  suc- 
ceeded, but  he  was  wholly  taken  up  with  contriving 
how  best  to  attack  them  so  that  his  forces  might 
have  some  chance  of  winning  in  the  unequal  con- 
test. 

King  Michael  was  now  in  such  a  situation  that  he 
dreaded  the  success  of  his  own  General  quite  as  much 
as  that  of  the  Turks,  so  he  sent  emissaries  to  Mo- 
hammed, encamped  at  Bouchaz,  to  sue  for  peace,  of- 
fering to  let  him  make  all  the  conditions  except  one, 
keeping  him,  Michael,  upon  the  throne,  and  this  was 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  71 

not  at  all  disagreeable  to  the  Sultan,  for  at  that  time 
Podolia  and  the  Ukraine  were  both  flourishing  prov- 
inces and  both  yielded  to  the  conqueror,  which  was 
Poland's  material  loss.  Her  utter  abasement  came 
in  the  clause  which  engaged  to  pay  an  annual  and 
perpetual  tribute  to  Turkey  of  a  hundred  thousand 
golden  ducats.  One  must  be  a  Pole  to  conceive 
just  how  humiliating  and  terrible  was  this  dis- 
graceful treaty  which  provided  not  alone  for  the  loss 
of  two  of  its  most  powerful  provinces,  but  for  tribute 
to  the  despised  Turks,  by  a  strong  and  powerful  Re- 
public which  was,  virtually,  acknowledgment  that 
the  Turks  had  at  last  conquered  Her,  so  proud  of 
Her  power  and  independence,  now  to  bend  to  such  a 
galling  yolr<^.  And  to  climax  the  catastrophe.  Her 
King,  like  other  lesser  Princes,  was  glad  to  bend  the 
knee  and  become  one  of  the  first  slaves  of  the  Porte, 
obliged  to  march  at  his  command,  against  all  the 
enemies  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  Christians  as  well 
as  others.  Such  was  the  famous,  infamous  treaty 
of  Bouchaz. 

The  peace  which  Michael  had  just  signed,  not  only 
covered  Poland  with  ignominy,  but  was  an  open  vio- 
lation of  its  laws  and  an  affront  to  the  whole  people 
which  could  not  be  borne.  For  a  king  of  Poland 
could  make  neither  peace  nor  war  without  the  con- 
sent of  his  subjects,  and  of  all  laws  which  have  ever 
been  devised  by  the  wisest  of  law  makers,  there  is 


72  THE  LIFE  OE 

none  wiser. 

Sobieski,  whose  hands  were  tied  by  the  terms  of 
peace,  returned  to  his  camp  at  Lovicz.  Michael, 
endeavoring  to  make  a  show  of  generosity  and  dig- 
nity without  being  possessed  of  either,  sent  an  order 
to  the  army  and  to  the  Grand  General,  by  name,  to 
take  a  new  oath  of  allegiance  to  him  upon  which  con- 
dition he  promised  to  forget  the  past  and  to  restore 
all  the  proscribed  to  their  former  honors  and  estates. 
Sobieski  replied  that  he  and  the  army  would  take  the 
required  oath,  provided  that  the  King  would  make 
a  new  one  for  himself  toward  the  Eepublic,  without 
any  equivocation,  and  swear  to  observe  the  articles 
which  had  been  omitted  from  the  Pacta  Coventa  by 
a  designed  precipitation.  These  articles  were  a  se- 
curity against  all  the  violations  over  which  the  Pri- 
mate had  reproached  him. 

Michael  was  highly  incensed  at  being  put  upon  a 
level  with  the  nation,  as  if  it  were  an  affront  to  that 
majesty  which  the  nation  alone  could  and  had  con- 
ferred upon  him,  and,  provoked  at  the  refusal  of  the 
proffered  pardon,  breathed  nothing  but  vengeance. 

However,  in  the  present  situation,  there  was  much 
greater  need  that  Sobieski  should  be  pacified  than 
the  King.  And  Sobieski,  armed  and  backed  by  a 
powerful  faction,  the  King  found  it  necessary,  or 
rather  expedient,  to  erase  his  name  and  all  of  the 
members  of  the  League  from  the  writs  of  proscrip- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  73 

tion;  after  which  ho  sent  a  deputation  to  the  camp 
at  Lovicz  to  assure  them  of  his  affection  and  to  in- 
vito them  to  a  diet  of  pacification  —  which  was  held 
at  Warsaw,  February,  1673. 

Whether  it  would  be  prudent  for  Sobieski  to  at- 
tend a  diet  of  pacification  was  a  subject  of  much  con- 
jecture in  the  army.  The  officers  and  soldiers  repre- 
sented, with  great  emotion,  the  dangers  that  might 
attend  his  acceptance,  but  heroes  depend  for  protec- 
tion upon  their  superior  talents  and  majestic  virtues 
rather  than  the  ability  to  bow  to  the  conventional. 

Once  in  convention,  it  would  seem  that  Sobieski, 
if  any  person  present,  had  a  right  to  assume  a  high 
and  lordly  manner  on  account  of  his  triumph  over 
the  Tartars  and  his  almost  certain  victory  over  the 
Turks  but  for  the  treachery  of  the  King,  but  he  for- 
got that  there  had  been  intended  a  scaffold  for  him 
and  a  price  set  upon  his  head.  Upon  these  subjects 
no  complaint  escaped  him.  It  was  as  though  it  had 
never  boon,  but  ho  painted,  in  the  most  glowing 
colors,  the  grievances  of  his  country.  The  King 
was  present  to  hear  Sobieski,  as  his  station  obliged 
him  to  be  in  all  assemblies  of  the  Nation,  but  the 
preferment  of  the  throne  was  awed  by  the  genius  of 
Sobieski.  And  llichael  felt,  in  his  poor,  weak  way 
that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  his  master  and  one  des- 
tined to  become  great  by  the  force  of  character. 
He  had  also  another  wound  to  bear,  for  Sobieski  shed 


Y4  THE  LIFE  OF 

tears  over  the  treaty  of  Bouehaz  and  appealed  from 
the  King  to  the  Kepublic  which  had  not  yet  signed 

"I  away  its  rights  for  the  life  of  slavery  and  ruin  under 

the  hated  yoke. 

I  Even  under  the  fire  of  Sobieski's  eloquence,  it  was 

affirmed  and  asked  — "  Such  a  proceeding  is  easy 
enough  in  Warsaw,  but  how  will  it  be  received  in 
Constantinople  ?  " — "  With  extreme  indignation  no 
doubt,"  was  Sobieski's  rejoinder  to  the  query  — 
"  but  we  have  courage  and  sabers  still  left  us.  We 
shall  not  wait  for  the  enemy  to  come  to  us  but  must 
go  to  them  instantly." 

Dignity  and  eloquence,  combined  with  virtue  and 
sincerity,  will  always,  had  always,  prevailed  with 
great  assemblies.  The  fire  of  the  Polish  Demosthe- 
nes caught  the  Senate  and  the  Equestrian  Order. 
The  treaty  of  Bouehaz  was  declared  void.  Peace 
was  broken  and  war  begun.  In  fancy  the  Poles  saw, 
already,  the  exalted  Mohammed  trembling  under  the 
sword  of  their  Grand  General. 

In  their  commendations,  the  Poles  have  something 
of  the  swelling  style  of  the  Atlantic.  Some  declared 
that  the  Greeks  would  have  taken  Sobieski  for  the 
god  Apollo,  whose  oracles  disclosed  futurity;  others, 
were  for  revivifying  the  doctrine  of  Pythagoras  and 
insisted  that  all  the  souls  of  all  the  great  ancients 
were  combined  and  had  passed  into  the  body  of  So- 
bieski.    But  one  thing  is  certain  and  that  is  that 


KING  JOHN  SOEIESKI  75 

Sobicski  was  greater  than  the  King  who  was  com- 
pelled to  listen  to  all  this  superlative  praise  from  the 
lofty  eminence  of  his  throne. 


CHAPTER  IX 

WAR  having  been  decided  upon  and 
while  the  recruits  were  being  raised 
and  collected,  Sobieski  dispatched 
spies  into  Wallachia  and  Tartary  to- 
wards the  Danube  and  to  the  Turkish  camp  at  Choc- 
zin;  of  which  last  they  gave  a  terrifying  account, 
describing  it  as  looking  like  an  immense  fortress 
erected  to  command  Poland  on  account  of  the  com- 
munication it  had,  by  means  of  bridges  over  the 
Niester,  with  Podolia  and  Kamieniec. 

Sobieski  was  far  from  deceiving  himself  as  to  the 
risk  he  ran,  but  he  was  so  pleased  with  the  great 
project  in  view  that  he  dispatched  courier  after 
courier  to  the  Grand-General  of  Lithuania,  Michael 
Paz,  to  hasten  the  march  of  his  troops. 

The  Lithuanian  troops  failed  to  arrive  before 
September  was  almost  finished  but  finally  came  upon 
the  plains  of  Glinian,  a  few  leagues  from  Leopol, 
where  the  Poles  impatiently  awaited  them,  and  their 
impatience  was  not  without  reason  for  it  was  high 
time  the  campaign  were  being  closed  rather  than  be- 
gun. The  army,  however,  being  at  last  assembled, 
advanced  into  the  Bucovine,  a  forest  thirty  leagues 
long  by  as  many  broad,  where  a  branch  of  the  Cra- 

76 


KmG  JOHN  SOBIESKI  77 

pac  mountains  forms  defiles  so  extremely  difficult  to 
pass  that  a  seasoned  traveler  can  scarce  do  so  with- 
out shuddering. 

It  seems  probable  that  there  was  nothing  known 
at  Constantinople  as  yet  regarding  the  advance  of 
the  Polish  armies  nor  the  breach  of  the  treaty  which 
such  a  march  meant,  for  they  were  met  by  the  Turk- 
ish envoy  who  M-as  coming  into  Poland  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  the  first  payment  of  the  tribute 
agreed  upon  in  the  shameful  treaty  which  Sobieski 
Avas  determined  to  invalidate.  The  envoy  behaved 
with  all  the  haughtiness  which  he  deemed  his  posi- 
tion as  the  envoy  from  a  conquering  to  a  conquered 
nation  demanded  and  Sobieski  respected  the  law  of 
nations,  allowing  him  to  continue  his  journey  unmo- 
lested while  his  army  advanced  into  the  forest  where, 
it  was  expected,  the  passes  would  be  disputed,  but 
the  enemy  did  not  appear  until  they  arrived  upon 
the  plain  at  the  farther  side  and  then  there  but  a  few 
bodies  which  retired  with  great  rapidity. 

Sobieski  hastened  his  march  along  the  banks  of 
the  Pruth  and,  leaving  it,  appeared  on  the  ninth  of 
November  before  the  camp  of  Choczin.  The  town 
on  the  right  side  of  the  river  was  defended  by  a  cita- 
del and  a  fort  on  the  left  side  covered  the  head  of  a 
bridge.  It  was  in  this  very  place,  some  fifty  years 
previously,  where  Sobieski's  father  had  performed 
such  great  achievements.     The  son  was  now  attempt- 


78  THE  LIFE  OF 

ing  greater^  with  this  difference  only,  that  at  that 
time  the  Poles  defended  the  camp,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent they  had  come  to  attack  it.  The  Seraskier  Hus- 
seim,  a  disciple  of  the  famous  Cuprogli,  was  Com- 
mander in  Chief,  and  had  with  him  eighty  thousand 
of  those  veteran  troops  that  had  conquered  the  isle 
of  Candy. 

A  council  of  war  was  held  in  the  night,  in  which 
Paz,  weighing  the  inequality  of  forces,  protested  that 
it  would  be  a  punishable  piece  of  temerity  to  expose 
to  certain  destruction  the  last  hope  of  the  Polish  Re- 
public, and  that,  as  for  himself,  he  would  retire  at 
sunrise  with  his  Lithuanians,  to  preserve  them  for 
the  service  of  his  country. 

Sobieski,  more  harassed  by  friends  than  enemies, 
answered  that  he  had  foreseen  everything  that  now 
presented  itself,  except  this  resolution  of  Paz;  that 
the  situation  of  things  was  far  from  giving  him  any 
terror;  that  it  was  much  more  dangerous  to  retire 
before  an  enemy  of  superior  strength,  than  to  attack 
them;  and  that,  in  short,  the  only  favor  he  desired 
of  him  was  to  stay  and  be  a  spectator  of  the  first 
blows.  What  an  appeal  this  was !  Of  a  patient,  su- 
preme patriot,  confident  of  his  own  power,  and  beg- 
ging that  those  who  should  have  been  at  his  side, 
should  at  least  witness  his  action  when  he  should 
deal  the  first  blow  at  their  powerful  enemy. 

Paz  himself  loved  glory,  and  since  Sobieski  was 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  79 

obstinately  bent  upon  seeking  it,  be  would  bave  been 
greatly  mortified  at  his  finding  it  without  him. 

On  the  10th,  everything  was  prepared  for  the  at- 
tack. There  was,  in  the  Polish  army,  a  body  of  Cos- 
sacks, gained  over  by  Sobieski's  liberality;  their 
leader,  Samuel  Motovildo,  impatient  to  signalize 
himself  at  their  head,  opened  the  scene,  without  wait- 
insr  for  the  General's  order. 

But  this  day  was  not  the  day  that  Sobieski  des- 
tined for  the  effusion  of  blood.  He  continued  with 
his  army  in  battalia,  hoping  that  the  enemy,  with 
such  a  superiority,  would  come  out  of  camp ;  but  the 
day  was  spent  in  cannonading.  Towards  the  even- 
ing, an  unexpected  event  increased  the  forces  of  the 
Tok's:  On  the  right  side  of  the  Turks,  there  was  a 
separate  camp  of  between  seven  and  eight  thousand 
Walachian  and  Moldavian  cavalrymen  which,  though 
Christians,  were  under  the  command  of  the  Infidels. 
This  was  a  source  of  great  mortification  and  sorrow 
to  the  Christian  heart  of  Sobieski.  This  war,  after 
all,  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  struggle  be- 
tween the  contending  faiths  of  the  followers  of  Mo- 
hammed and  the  followers  of  Jesus,  and  now  in  this 
extreme  hour,  that  a  large  and  important  force  of 
Christians  should  be  found  ready  to  deal  blows  at  the 
Christian  army  in  behalf  of  the  power  of  ^lohammed 
was  almost  unthinkable.  These  troops  did  not  an- 
swer the  expectations  of  the  Seraskier,  either  in  num- 


80  THE  LIFE  OF 

ber  or  beauty,  and  the  two  Hospodars  who  conducted 
them  were  therefore  treated  like  slaves,  showing  the 
contempt  which  the  followers  of  Mohammed  always 
did  show  to  such  Christians,  so  called,  when  they 
found  them  ready  to  betray  their  country  and  their 
religion.  The  Seraskier  even  forgot  himself  so  far 
as  to  strike  the  Moldavian  with  his  battle-ax,  with  the 
result  that  the  Princes,  stimulated  by  lust  for  re- 
venge, came  and  offered  Sobieski  themselves  and 
their  troops.  The  Turks  beheld  this  desertion  with 
indignation,  but  were  unable  to  prevent  it,  and, 
whether  or  not  Sobieski  felt  their  offer  a  lofty  one,  it 
nevertheless  was  preferable  to  having  them  arrayed 
against  him,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of  prin- 
ciple. 

The  following  night  was  extremely  severe  for  the 
soldiers  to  continue  under  arms.  They  were  half 
frozen  by  the  snow,  which  fell  in  great  abundance, 
but  Avhen  they  saw  Sobieski  visit  the  posts,  rest  him- 
self upon  the  carriage  of  a  cannon  and  refuse  a  tent, 
they  were  encouraged.  At  break  of  day  he  observed 
that  the  enemy's  ranks  were  thinner  than  usual ;  the 
same  number  of  colors  were  flying  upon  the  parapet, 
but  much  fewer  janizaries  were  to  be  seen.  The 
Turks,  accustomed  to  a  mildness  of  climate,  which 
the  Poles  were  unacquainted  with,  were  less  capable 
of  fatigue.  Their  strength  was  exhausted  by  having 
been  four-and-twenty  hours  under  arms  in  such  se- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  81 

vero  weather;  and,  thinking  that  the  Poles  would  not 
daro  to  attack  them  in  open  daylight,  they  retired  to 
take  a  little  rest. 

"  This  is  the  moment  that  I  have  waited  for," 
said  Sobieski,  to  the  officers  who  were  about  him, 
"  carry  my  orders  for  the  attack,"  and  he  instantly 
set  them  an  example,  which,  upon  any  other  occasion 
would  be  found  fault  with  in  a  general.  Observ- 
ing that  the  first  brigades  were  wavering  between 
courage  and  fear,  he  made  his  own  regiment  of  dra- 
goons, a  troop  formed  by  himself,  alight  from  their 
horses ;  and,  putting  himself  at  their  head,  he 
marched  up  to  the  Turkish  intrenchmcnts.  He  was 
too  bulky  to  mount  with  ease,  and  while  his  men  were 
assisting  him,  he  was  all  the  while  exposed  to  the  en- 
emy's fire,  but  at  length  appeared  upon  the  parapet 
with  his  dragoons.  The  infantry,  seeing  his  danger, 
and  fearing  for  him,  rushed  on  violently  on  the  right 
and  left  to  sustain  him  and,  forcing  the  first  posts 
one  upon  another,  turned  their  own  cannon  against 
them. 

In  the  meantime  Jablonowski,  Palatine  of  Russia, 
made  a  motion  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  cav- 
alry had  not  yet  forced  its  way,  and  the  infantry  was 
afraid  of  being  surrounded  if  it  advanced  too  far ;  he 
therefore  came  around  by  the  camp  which  the  Molda- 
vians had  quitted,  and  forced  through  with  the  Pan- 
corns.     Sobieski   had   foujrht   on    foot   for    near   an 


82  THE  LIFE  OF 

hour ;  he  was  at  length  supplied  with  a  horse,  and  the 
rest  of  the  cavalry  soon  entered  through  the  intrench- 
ment  itself. 

Surprise  occasions  greater  confusion  than  fire  and 
sword.  The  Turks,  being  hard  pushed  on  all  sides, 
left  many  men  and  much  ground ;  but  the  Poles,  find- 
ing a  greater  number  of  empty  tents  than  of  enemies, 
stopped  to  pillage:  a  common  fault  with  troops  that 
are  not  under  the  strictest  discipline,  and  a  grave 
fault  too.  Many  battles  that  are  supposed  to  have 
been  won  have  been  lost  again  by  the  greed  of  the 
soldiers  for  plunder.  If  the  victory  was  at  all  un- 
certain, it  was  at  this  juncture.  The  Turks, 
charmed  at  the  power  of  their  wealth,  took  courage 
and  repulsed  the  victors.  Sobieski,  with  the  Towa- 
risz,  sustained  this  first  shock,  and  was  seconded  by 
Jablonowski  with  Pancerns.  Lesczinski,  Palatine  of 
Pudalchia,  brought  up  the  plunderers  to  their  colors, 
and  victory,  which  seemed  to  depart,  appeared  again, 
accompanied  with  order. 

Sobieski,  in  the  heat  of  action,  did  not  neglect  to 
take  care  of  consequences.  He  ordered  Baron  de 
Boham,  a  French  officer,  to  march  to  the  bridge  to 
cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat.  By  this  time  there  were 
none  who  stood  their  ground,  but  the  janizaries  only, 
who  dared  not  give  way  in  the  presence  of  the  brave 
Solyman  who  commanded  them.  The  Seraskier,  on 
his  part,  did  all  that  could  be  expected  from  a  gen- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  83 

oral  who  was  forced  in  his  camp.     He  recalled  and 
brought  back  to  action  his  broken  squadrons. 

But  when  some  of  tlio  runaways,  being  repulsed 
from  the  bridge,  brought  intelligence  that  the  retreat 
was  cut  off,  the  Turks,  instead  of  deriving  fresh 
courage  from  despair,  had  no  sensation  left,  but  that 
of  terror.  A  body  of  between  six  and  seven  thou- 
sand cavalrymen  endeavored  to  escape  in  a  place 
where  the  rocks  were  lower  than  usual ;  but  were 
charged  by  the  Lithuanians,  who  forced  their  way  by 
that  very  entrance,  and  drove  them  back  upon  the 
field  of  battle  where  they  ran  with  full  speed  against 
a  body  of  Polish  cavalry.  Sobieski,  vi'ho  was  seen 
everywhere,  and  seemed  to  be  at  every  place,  hap- 
pened to  be  in  this  body.  Woe  be  to  that  General 
who,  on  such  occasion,  cannot  act  the  soldier.  So- 
bieski could  and  fortune  assisted  him  as  much  as  his 
own  valor.  A  Turk  aimed  at  him  a  mortal  blow 
which  was  received  by  a  young  hero  named  Zelinski, 
whose  death  was  quickly  avenged;  and  there  suc- 
ceeded a  scries  of  single  combats  in  the  midst  of  a 
general  action.  At  last,  the  Palatine  of  Kalisch  and 
the  Castlellan  of  Posnania  came  up  with  a  body  of 
horse,  and  disengaged  the  Poles.  The  whole  camp 
was  covered  with  dying  infidels.  The  Spahis  pur- 
sued on  their  horses  at  random,  with  no  other  view 
but  to  avoid  the  sabers  of  their  pursuers.  The  Se- 
raskier,  covered  with  wounds,  thought  only  how  to 


84  THE  LIFE  OF 

save  the  ruins  of  his  wretched  army;  but  how  to  ef- 
fect it  was  the  diflSculty.  The  only  way  of  retiring 
that  he  could  discover,  was  either  over  a  few  paths 
across  the  rocks,  or  upon  the  waves  of  the  Niester. 
From  this  moment  the  state  of  the  Turkish  army 
no  longer  presented  the  idea  of  a  battle,  but  of  a  com- 
plete rout,  where  destruction  was  multiplied  in  all 
its-  various  forms.  Here  the  flying  squadrons  threw 
themselves  from  the  top  of  rocks  and  were  dashed 
in  pieces  against  other  rocks  below,  where  men  and 
horses  were  heaped  one  upon  another;  there  the 
broken  infantry  took  refuge  towards  the  citadel, 
which  was  incapable  of  containing  any  more,  and 
sent  them  back  to  the  sabers  of  the  enemy.  At  a 
greater  distance,  the  cavalry  plunged  into  the  river, 
and  were  delivered,  by  being  shot  in  the  midst  of  it, 
from  this  scene  of  horror.  Even  such  as  reached 
the  other  side,  or  had  crossed  before  the  breaking 
of  the  bridge,  were  not  safe.  They  drew  themselves 
up  in  battalia  to  receive  and  protect  such  of  their 
companions  as  should  attempt  the  passage;  but  the 
impetuous  Mandreoski,  a  Brigadier  of  horse,  could 
not  bear  to  see  them  live.  He  threw  himself  into 
the  river,  followed  by  his  brigade ;  but  in  mid-stream 
he  received  a  wound  from  a  musket  ball  which  de- 
prived him  of  all  sense.  He  was  brought  back  to 
the  place  he  set  out  from,  but  not  until  ten  years 
after  in  a  still  more  celebrated  battle  did  he  lose  his 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  85 

life.  His  troops,  still  pursuing  their  point,  were 
joined  by  other  squadrons;  and  the  enemy,  being 
everywhere  broken,  retired  for  safety  under  the  walls 
of  Kamieniec. 

The  river  was  covered  with  ten  thousand  turbans, 
and  the  earth  with  twenty  thousand  slain,  among 
which  were  eight  thousand  janizaries.  The  victory 
cost  the  Poles  between  five  and  six  thousand  killed 
and  wounded.  When  we  consider  the  immense  su- 
periority of  the  conquered  army,  the  whole  tale  reads 
like  a  fable.  But  one  of  these  two  suppositions  will 
account  for  it;  either  it  is  a  great  disadvantage  to 
wait  for  an  enemy  in  intrenchments,  or  Heaven 
fought  on  the  side  of  the  Poles.  There  is  a  third, 
which  will  perhaps  give  a  better  solution:  When  men 
fight,  not  for  the  whim  of  a  Sovereign,  but  for  the 
real  interest  of  themselves  and  their  country,  they 
are  raised  above  the  common  level.  When  they 
have  the  incentive  to  fight  for  home  and  country, 
their  dearest  interests  and  rights ;  when  men  are  con- 
scious of  this,  they  are  almost  unconquerable. 

The  Poles  took  a  great  number  of  prisoners  who 
received  the  treatment  usually  accorded  to  prisoners 
of  those  days,  which  in  this  day  of  enlightenment 
looks  harsh  and  cruel.  There  is  no  better  evidence 
of  the  world's  progress  than  in  the  humane  treatment 
of  prisoners  of  war,  compared  with  what  it  was  in 
the  days  of  Sobieski.     He  show^ed  great  humanity 


86  THE  LIFE  OF 

to  the  wretches  who  waited  for  their  fate  in  the  cita- 
del of  Choczin,  which  contained  vast  riches,  being 
the  place  where  the  Greeks,  Armenians  and  Jews 
kept  their  magazines  for  the  camp.  The  artillery 
was  brought  up  against  it  the  same  day,  and  it  soon 
capitulated. 

While  this  was  passing  between  the  Pruth  and  the 
ISTiester,  the  Turkish  Aga  proceeded  on  his  journey; 
and,  arriving  at  Leopol  about  the  beginning  of  No- 
vember, found  the  King  lying  at  the  point  of  death. 
An  ulcer  in  the  kidneys,  blood  instead  of  urine,  con- 
vulsions in  his  stomach,  and  continual  vomiting,  left 
him  so  small  a  remnant  of  life,  as  would  not  permit 
him  to  give  audience.  In  short,  Michael^  died  on 
tl^e  10th  of  November,  leaving  no  children^  At  the 
timeof'thB'^rng's  death  he  was  thirty-five  years  of 
age.  He  spent  four  years  upon  the  throne,  and 
these  four  years  were  spent  in  uneasiness,  infamy, 
disturbance  and  horror.  Probably  with  but  a  single 
exception,  this  King  was  the  most  unfortunate  of 
any  of  the  Sovereigns  that  were  chosen  to  reign  over 
the  Republic.  If  the  cro^vii  is  capable  of  making 
any  man  happy,  it  must  be  him  only  who  is  able  to 
wield  it.  Michael,  who  was  naturally  of  a  humane 
temper,  would  have  been  a  good  King  if  he  had  been 
a  great  one;  but  he  was  utterly  w^anting  in  all  ca- 
pacity. He  was  entirely  lacking  in  all  the  qualities 
of   a  successful   Sovereign.     When  he  was   elected 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  87 

King,  he  cried  out  to  those  who  surrounded  him,  "  I 
have  been  elected  to  a  position  that  I  am  incapable 
of  filling."  Whether  he  was  sincere  or  not,  in  this 
declaration,  he  spoke  the  truth  when  he  made  that 
statement.  All  that  he  got  by  being  exalted  to  the 
regal  dignity  was  to  be  drenched  with  gall,  without 
the  least  particle  of  comfort.  He  felt  all  the  annoy- 
ance, all  of  the  embarrassment,  but  none  of  the  good ; 
for  he  expired  on  the  evening  before  the  victory  of 
Choczin. 

The  news  of  the  King's  death,  being  received  by 
the  army,  furnished  many  with  a  fair  pretense  for 
returning  home:  such  as  were  loaded  with  spoils  of 
the  East  were  impatient  to  lay  up  their  booty  safely ; 
others,  who  were  tired  with  the  labors  of  so  severe 
a  season,  eagerly  wished  for  the  end  of  it;  and  all 
alleged  that  the  election  of  a  new  King  was  the  only 
thing  that  should  now  engage  the  attention  of  the 
Polish  nation. 

Sobieski  represented  that  the  election  could  not 
como  on  before  spring,  and  that  the  winter  might  be 
usefully  employed  in  driving  the  Turks  out  of  Uk- 
raine, and,  perhaps,  in  making  an  attempt  upon 
Kamieniec.  It  is  surprising  that  he,  who  had  so 
many  claims  to  the  crown,  if  merit  be  any  claim  at 
all,  should  be  so  little  in  haste  to  return  to  Warsaw 
and  form  a  party  in  his  own  favor.  That  he  wished 
to  be  king,  there  is  no  question.     To  be  a  Sovereign, 


88  THE  LIFE  OF 

a  ruler  of  a  people,  a  free  people,  an  elective  Sover- 
eign, was  indeed  a  great  honor;  one  that  no  one 
could  despise,  and  that  Sobieski  desired  it,  there  is 
no  question;  but  so  devoted  was  he  to  his  country 
and  to  his  duty,  that  he  could  not,  even  in  his  own 
interests,  be  remiss  in  any  one  of  his  obligations  to 
his  country ;  so  instead  of  returning  to  his  home,  he 
was  busy  in  animating  the  Poles  to  new  enterprises ; 
but  he  was  stopped  by  an  order  from  the  Primate, 
requiring  him  to  bring  the  army  without  delay  back 
into  Poland.  The  will  of  the  Interrex  is  more  sa- 
cred than  that  of  the  King,  and  there  was  nothing 
left  for  him  to  do  but  to  obey.  All  that  the  Grand- 
General  could  do  was  to  leave  a  garrison  at  Choczin, 
where  the  Poles  raised  a  hillock  which  they  call 
Mogila,  to  be  a  rude  monument  of  a  glorious  victory. 
If  we  consider  this  celebrated  expedition  on  the 
side  of  conquest,  it  presents  no  very  advantageous 
idea.  The  only  acquisition  was  Choczin,  a  heap  of 
cottages  covered  with  straw.  The  citadel,  which  was 
a  good  one  for  the  country,  was  retaken  by  the  Turks, 
in  the  winter.  But  if  we  view  it  on  the  side  of  glory, 
and  as  being  the  preservation  of  Poland,  there  are 
very  few  of  equal  luster,  or  so  highly  interesting.  It 
prevented  the  treaty  of  Bouchaz  from  being  ratified 
by  the  first  pajTnent  of  the  tribute  agreed  upon ;  sus- 
pended the  slavery  of  Poland;  weakened  the  Turks 
by  the  destruction  of  their  best  army,  and  taught 


KIXG  JOHN  SOBIESKI  89 

them  that  Poland,  with  only  very  inferior  forces, 
was  capable  of  braving  their  immense  power  and  su- 
perior nnml)ers. 

Sobieski,  covered  with  ftlorv,  now  came  to  Lcopol, 
where  he  received  the  congratulations  of  all  the  or- 
ders of  the  State.  The  most  distant  palatinates  sent 
Deputies  to  the  Deliverer  of  their  country.  Ix;t 
kings  be  intoxicated,  if  they  may,  with  the  incense 
that  is  so  profusely,  however  lacking  in  spontaneity, 
offered  them  after  victories,  in  which  they  have  com- 
monly no  share ;  that  which  Sobieski  received  was 
the  tribute  of  deep  national  gratitude  and  joy.  At 
the  report  of  the  triumph  of  Choczin  every  one  left 
off  mourning  for  a  king  who  was  not  worthy  of  lam- 
entation. 

In  the  meantime  Warsaw  was  filled  with  intrigues 
that  were  forming  for  the  election  of  a  king,  but  So- 
bieski stayed  at  Lcopol,  as  if  he  had  no  pretensions. 
The  best  title  to  it,  he  must  have  thought,  was  to 
continue  to  defend  his  country;  he,  therefore,  fixed 
his  residence  at  Leopol  for  the  winter,  where  he 
was  in  readiness  to  restrain  the  incursions  of  the  Tar- 
tars and  the  Cossacks,  or  to  endeavor,  if  an  oppor- 
tunity offered,  to  win  over  the  latter. 

The  Diet  of  Convocation  which  precedes  that  of 
election,  was  summoned  to  meet  on  the  fifteenth  day 
of  January,  1674.  It  was  to  have  ended  in  fifteen 
days;  but  the  desire  which  every  one  had  to  see  So- 


90  THE  LIFE  OE 

bieski  present  at  it,  caused  it  to  be  postponed  to  the 
22d  of  February;  he  refused,  however,  to  gratify 
this  earnest  wish,  being  wholly  taken  up  with  the 
enemy.  Sobieski  had  now  become,  more  than  ever, 
the  hero  and  idol  of  the  army  and  of  the  nation. 
What  a  wonderful  experience  he  had  had!  In  all 
the  world's  history  I  think  there  has  never  been  a 
parallel  case,  where  a  general,  with  the  stamp  of  out- 
lawry upon  him,  \vith  the  sentence  of  death  imposed, 
has  marched  out  at  the  head  of  an  army  and  delivered 
the  Republic  and  saved  the  King  himself.  At  least 
I  do  not  know  of  any  parallel  case.  No  wonder  that 
the  nation  worshiped  him.  Whether  he  was  so  san- 
guine that  he  would  be  elected  King  that  he  need 
make  no  effort,  or  wholly  from  a  patriotic  desire  to 
watch  the  boundaries  of  the  Republic  against  the  en- 
emy, each  one  must  determmefor  himself.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  latter  reason  was  why  he  did  not  ap- 
pear at  the  Diet.  Everything  went  on  quietly  in 
the  Diet,  under  the  direction  of  the  Primate.  The 
death  of  the  King  and  the  time  of  election  were  no- 
tified, according  to  custom,  to  the  Powers  of  Europe ; 
and  the  field  of  election  was  opened  on  the  first  of 
May. 

Sobieski  showed,  or  perhaps  only  simulated,  so 
much  indifference  for  the  crown,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  repeated  instances  of  the  Electors  who  had  a 
mind  to  be  profited  by  his  superior  talents,  he  did 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  91 

not  arrive  until  the  tenth  of  May.  Perhaps  his  de- 
lay might  be  partially  founded  on  policy,  in  order  to 
be  more  taken  notice  of;  but  the  entire  absence  in 
all  his  life  of  any  attempt  at  the  dramatic  rather  in- 
clines the  writer  to  believe  that  that  was  not  his  ob- 
ject. This  was  his  first  appearance  before  the  As- 
sembly of  the  Estates  since  the  victory  of  Choczin; 
and  he  was  received  with  a  pomp  which  might  well 
astonish  the  foreigners  then  present,  who  were  not 
accustomed  in  their  own  countries  to  see  Generals 
receive  any  such  honors  of  triumph.  In  those  days, 
however  skillful  the  general,  however  great  his  tri- 
umphs, all  the  glory  went  to  the  Sovereign,  but  in  a 
Republic  like  Poland,  as  in  all  republics,  the  people 
are  more  apt  to  show  their  appreciation  for  the  one 
to  whom  they  have  just  reasons  to  be  indebted. 

Of  the  six  competitors  for  the  CrowTi,  there  were 
four  who  had  not  even  the  slightest  chance  to  ingra- 
tiate themselves  in  the  inclinations  of  the  voters; 
these  were  Prince  Thomas  of  Savoy,  the  Duke  of 
Modena,  Prince  George  of  Denmark  and  the  Prince 
of  Transylvania.  The  other  two,  Prince  Charles  of 
Lorraine  and  the  Prince  of  Xewberg,  entered  the 
lists. 

Sobieski  raised  up  a  third  party,  by  representing 
that,  in  the  present  situation  of  the  republic,  when 
it  was  on  the  eve  of  being  attacked  by  the  whole  Ot- 
toman power,   it  wanted  a  hero  of  tried   abilities, 


92  THE  LIFE  OF 

whose  bare  name  might  be  an  omen  of  victory.  That 
this  hero  would  not  be  found  in  the  Prince  of  New- 
burg,  who  had  never  paid  his  addresses  to  military 
glory,  nor  even  in  Prince  Charles,  who  had  only  been 
honored  with  her  first  smiles,  was  certain.  But  their 
wants  would  be  amply  supplied  by  the  Prince  of 
Conde,  who  had  received  all  the  favors  she  could  be- 
stow, and  was  so  celebrated  in  Europe  that  they 
ought  to  have  given  him  the  Crown  when  the  throne 
was  last  vacant,  without  bestowing  it  upon  a  wretched 
libel,  the  authors  of  which  dared  not  show  them- 
selves ;  but  that  it  was  not  yet  too  late  to  choose  them- 
selves a  king  whom  all  the  powers  would  be  ambi- 
tious of,  if  they  had  a  power  to  dispose  of  themselves. 
Sobieski's  proposal  continued  a  mystery,  which 
was  not  long  coming  to  light.  It  was  surprising  that 
the  Diet  should  never  think  of  giving  the  Crown  to 
him  who  was  the  Hero  of  Poland.  But  while  his 
talents  and  his  virtues  brought  him  near  the  throne, 
there  were  two  pretenses  that  kept  him  at  a  distance 
from  it;  Mary  d'Arquien,  his  wife,  was  looked  upon 
by  the  Grandees,  as  unworthy  of  that  station. 
"  That  highest  of  all  honors,"  said  they,  "  is  fitter 
for  the  blood  of  the  House  of  Austria."  Thus  it  is 
that  men  often  sacrifice  their  happiness  to  a  shadow. 
It  seems  almost  incredible  that  the  achievements  of 
Sobieski,  his  great  ability,  and  the  gratitude  of  the 
nation  and  their  unwillingness  to  shower  their  great 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  93 

honors  in  appreciation  of  his  achievements  did  not 
cause  the  Diet  to  acknowledge  him  bv  all  odds  to  be 
the  candidate  above  all  others,  capable  of  the  great 
trust  that  they  would  bestow;  yet  they  stopped  and 
hesitated  simply  because  his  wife  was  not  popular 
with  the  Court.  Another  obstacle  of  greater  weight 
was  the  positive  exclusion  given  by  the  Lithuanians 
to  every  Piast :  "  A  nation,"  said  they,  "  which  has 
suffered  so  much  from  the  weak  government  of 
Michael,  should  look  for  a  foreign  born  king." 
This  too  seems  most  remarkable,  when  it  w^as  shown 
that  the  weakest  and  the  most  incapable  of  her  kings 
had  been  foreign  Princes ;  and  yet  they  forgot  all  of 
this  when  they  remembered  the  last  mistake  they 
made  in  the  election  of  Michael.  To  the  Queen 
alone  must  be  laid  the  blame  for  she  had  secretly 
brought  about  this  exclusion,  which  was  such  a  dis- 
grace to  Poland.  The  Lithuanians  did  not  allege 
the  true  reason.  The  Queen  and  the  Paz  could  not 
be  persuaded  that  Sobieski  had  no  design  upon  the 
Crown.  lie  appeared  in  the  Diet  with  all  the  mag- 
nificence of  a  king,  and  had  all  the  merit  requisite 
for  that  station ;  it  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  ex- 
clude him,  under  the  flimsy  excuse  that  he  bore  the 
title  of  a  Piast. 

It  w^as  obvioiis  that  Sobieski  was  strong  enough 
to  make  himself  master  of  the  election,  being  already 
master  of  the  Polish  army,  which  called  loudly  for 


94  THE  LIFE  OF 

the  Prince  of  Conde,  and  followed  in  this  particu- 
lar the  directions  of  its  General,  without  penetrat- 
ing into  his  designs.  The  Paz,  with  the  army  of 
Lithuania,  less  numerous  indeed  than  the  other,  pre- 
pared to  support  the  interests  of  the  Queen  and 
Prince  Charles.  The  two  brothers  had  all  the  as- 
cendant they  could  over  the  Lithuanians ;  they  knew 
that  Prince  Charles  was  in  Silesia,  with  a  body  of 
troops  which,  when  joined  to  theirs,  would  be  a 
match  for  the  Polish  army.  These  possibilities  for 
a  civil  war  struck  with  horror  all  who  sincerely  loved 
their  country. 

In  this  fermentation  of  opposite  factions,  Sobi- 
eski  proposed  a  method  of  reconciliation,  which  w^as 
fit  only  to  embroil  things  still  more.  Queen  Elea- 
nora  should  break  off  her  engagement  with  Prince 
Charles,  and  give  her  hand  to  the  Prince  of  N^ew- 
burg,  from  whom  the  Republic  had  more  to  expect, 
on  account  of  his  great  fortune;  and  upon  this  con- 
dition the  Prince  of  Conde  should  withdraw  his  pre- 
tensions. To  bring  this  about  a  deputation  from  the 
Senate  waited  upon  the  Queen,  who,  having  engaged 
her  heart  and  her  jewels  to  Prince  Charles,  showed 
by  her  answer  that  she  continued  inviolably  attached 
to  him;  and  the  Ambassador  of  Vienna  protested 
loudly  that  his  Court  would  never  give  up  its  Candi- 
date. Thei  Grandees  persisted  in  giving  him  their 
votes,  and  he  would  probably  have  had  the  Crown 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  95 

if  Florian  Czartoriski,  the  Primate  and  Interrex, 
had  lived  a  few  days  longer.  His  death  weakened 
Prince  Charles'  party  and  changed  the  whole  phase 
of  the  election. 

Andrew  Trzebiski,  Bishop  of  Cracow,  a  man  of 
loss  warmth,  took  his  j)lace  in  the  Diet  of  Election, 
and  performed  the  function  of  Interrex,  but  could 
not  unite  the  votes  of  the  Assembly.  In  one  part 
was  heard  the  name  of  Prince  Charles;  in  another 
the  Prince  of  Newburg;  and,  louder  still,  that  of 
Conde.  At  last  the  Palatine  of  Russia,  Stanislaus 
Jablonowski,  a  Senator  equally  respectable  for  his 
birth  and  his  fortune,  his  knowledge  of  the  law,  and 
his  behavior  in  arms,  w^ho  always  spoke  as  he 
thought,  and  was  a  friend  to  Sobieski,  because  he 
loved  his  country,  rose  up  and  endeavored  to  put  an 
end  to  this  state  of  uncertainty.  "  If,  in  our  choice 
of  a  king,"  said  he,  "  we  were  to  be  determined  by 
appearances  only,  it  would  be  nearly  equal,  whether 
wo  chose  the  Prince  of  Ix)rraine  or  the  Prince  of 
Newburg ;  hoth  of  them  have  blossoms  to  show,  b\it  it 
is  fruit  that  wo  want ;  and  upon  this  footing  I  would 
give  my  suffrage  to  the  great  Conde,  the  Prince  of 
France,  were  it  not  that  fruit  which  is  too  ripe  is 
on  the  point  of  decaying.  Sobieski,  in  proposing 
him,  considers  only  that  blaze  of  glory  which  gilds 
over  the  ruins  of  the  hero ;  but  is  his  forgetting  him- 
self a  reason  for  our  following  his  example  ?     Sobi- 


96  THE  LIFE  OF 

eski  is  in  person  before  your  eyes.  His  age,  his 
health,  his  vigor,  his  talents,  and  his  fortune  all 
speak  loudly  in  his  behalf.  He  was  born  in  the  same 
country,  and  educated  in  the  same  principles  and 
sentiments  with  yourselves.  You  have  often 
profited  by  his  superior  abilities  in  the  Senate  and 
the  Diet,  and  have  repeatedly  been  led  to  victory 
under  his  auspices.  He  has  supported  the  Crown  of 
Poland,  and  will  know  how  to  wear  it.  By  looking 
out  for  a  king  among  foreigners,  do  you  mean  to 
have  it  said  that  Poland  produces  no  heroes  of  its 
own  ?  By  choosing  out  of  foreign  sovereign  fami- 
lies, we  have  more  than  once  brought  ruin  upon  our 
country.  You  are  discharged  of  all  obligations  to- 
wards Queen  Eleanora,  by  her  refusing  the  husband 
that  was  offered  her ;  but  you  are  still  bound  to  your 
country,  whose  welfare  depends  upon  your  choice  of 
Sobieski." 

Scarce  had  Jablonowski  done  speaking  when  five 
palatinates  —  that  is  to  say,  their  deputies,  castel- 
lans, palatines  and  many  other  nobles  —  cried  out, 
"  Sobieski  forever !  We  will  all  perish  together  or 
have  him  for  our  King."  The  Palatine  of  Russia, 
which  was  Sobieski's  native  country,  distinguished 
itself  by  its  zeal  above  the  rest,  and  before  the  end 
of  the  day,  the  acclamation  became  general  among 
the  Poles ;  but  the  Lithuanians  were  extremely  averse 
to  this  choice.     There  were  some  reasons  for  this,  but 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  97 

Olio  in  particular;  the  scathing  address  of  Sobieski, 
when  they  were  about  to  desert  him  in  battle,  when 
they  were  brought  to  their  sense  of  duty  by  his  ad- 
dress, still  seemed  to  rankle  in  their  bosoms.  The 
two  Pazs  quitted  the  Assembly  abruptly,  with  their 
friends,  to  enter  before  the  Register  of  the  Chancery 
a  protest  against  the  election,  as  not  being  unani- 
mous, and  the  reader  remembers  that  there  must  be 
unanimity  to  secure  election.  So  the  crown  was  still 
in  suspense  during  the  succeeding  night,  which  was 
spent  in  agitation  and  discord.  Jablonowski  and  the 
luterrex  did  all  they  could  to  unite  the  suffrages. 
At  last  the  two  Pazs,  after  having  spent  the  whole 
night  to  no  j)urpose,  in  contriving  methods  of  mak- 
ing the  election  miscarry,  and  reflecting  upon  the 
inferiority  of  their  number,  and  the  danger  that 
might  attend  their  obstinacy,  appeared  again  in  the 
field  of  election  on  the  19th  of  INIay,  and  Sobieski, 
by  a  unanimous  consent,  was  proclaimed  Iving. 
The  faint  and  languid  pleasure  of  a  king  who  reigns 
by  right  of  blood  and  ancestry,  without  any  merit 
upon  his  own  part,  and  in  most  cases,  as  the  world's 
history  shows,  without  any  qualities  of  either  head 
or  heart,  who  reigns  barely  by  the  right  of  blood,  is 
not  to  be  compared  with  that  of  a  king  who  is  made 
so  by  the  election  of  a  free  people,  conferring  the 
Crown  upon  the  object  of  its  love  and  its  esteem. 
Never  did  the  Polish  nation  discover  more  joy 


98  KIN'G  JOHN"  SOBIESKI 

than  upon  this  last  occasion.  The  Senate,  the 
Equestrian  Order,  the  Army,  and  the  people  con- 
ducted the  new  King  with  civil  and  military  pomp, 
with  the  roar  of  cannon  and  repeated  acclamations 
to  the  Great  Church  of  St.  John,  to  return  thanks 
to  God,  who  had  often  been  thanked  at  the  same  altar 
for  kings  that  he  had  given  in  his  anger;  but  the 
Poles  now  flattered  themselves  that  they  had  made 
no  mistake. 


CHAPTER  X 

WHILE  all  Warsaw  was  filled  with 
rejoicing,  Queen  Eleanora  was  sick 
out  of  mere  convenience.  The  new 
king  paid  her  a  visit;  but  this 
king  was  not  Prince  Charles,  and  the  throne  must 
bo  resigned  to  Mary  d'Arquien. 

Eleanora's  followers  in  the  Senate  attempted  in- 
stantly to  avenge  her  cause,  and  perhaps  to  give 
Sobieski  a  distaste  to  the  throne,  before  he  was  seated 
in  it.  With  this  view,  they  drew  up  the  Pacta  Con- 
voiita,  in  terms  which  confined  the  expense  of  the 
King's  household,  and  the  royal  authority,  within 
narrower  limits  than  had  anciently  been  set  to  them. 
Sobieski  saw  the  designs  that  were  laid  for  him 
and  avoided  them  by  exerting  a  noble  spirit  of  dis- 
interestedness, which  always  succeeds  with  great 
men.  "  You  have  chosen  me,"  said  he,  "  for  your 
King,  but  the  work  is  not  yet  completed,  and  I  am 
still  in  a  state  of  hesitation.  The  Republic  has  not 
yet  delivered  to  me  the  instrument  of  election,  nor 
have  I  yet  accepted  it,  in  that  solemn  form  which 
ratifies  the  whole  transaction ;  and  therefore,  if  you 
show  a  distrust  of  me  by  laying  fetters  upon  me, 

99 


100  THE  LIFE  OF 

which  my  predecessors  would  have  refused,  I  reject 
them  and  the  crown  together." 

This  generous  behavior  stopped  the  mouths  of 
these  disturbers ;  and  the  face  of  the  Eepublic,  after 
some  debates,  assumed  at  last  an  air  of  serenity  and 
peace ;  and,  everything  being  quiet,  or  at  least  seem- 
ing to  be  so,  the  new  king  received  in  form  the  in- 
strument of  election  in  the  same  great  church  to 
which  he  was  conducted  upon  quitting  the  field  of 
election. 

Sobieski,  at  the  time  of  his  election,  was  forty-five 
years  old;  an  age  equally  distant  from  the  heat  of 
youthful  passions  and  the  cold  of  old  age;  an  age 
when  all  the  talents  display  themselves  in  full  luster ; 
and,  if  the  throne  w^ere  to  be  given  to  the  advantages 
of  figure,  he  would  have  deserved  it  in  this  view  also ; 
a  tall  and  graceful  person,  a  full  face,  regular  fea- 
tures, an  aquiline  nose,  eyes  full  of  fire,  a  frank  and 
open  countenance,  made  up  his  picture.  He  had  not 
yet  that  bulkiness  of  body  which  in  time  made  him 
less  graceful ;  he  had  only  that  plumpness  which  in- 
dicates vigorous  health  and  suits  so  well  with  the 
Polish  habit.  He  derived  from  nature  that  majestic 
air,  with  which  courtiers  compliment  every  sover- 
eign. He  took  the  appellation  of  John  III,  a  name 
to  which  the  two  kings,  who  had  borne  it  before  him, 
had  done  no  honor.  Mary,  his  Queen,  was  possessed 
of  an  elegant  form,  a  majestic  air,  a  fine  complexion, 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  101 

sparkling  eyes,  a  stately  look,  a  great  deal  of  wit; 
her  only  fault  was  perhaps  in  being  a  little  too  artful. 

The  Austrian  queen  forgave  her  all  this,  but  could 
not  forgive  the  loss  of  the  throne,  the  luster  of  which 
could,  for  the  future,  only  give  her  pain.  A  few 
months  after  she  retired  into  Silesia,  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Emperor,  her  brother.  This  retreat  was 
concealed  at  first  under  the  pretense  of  a  journey, 
that  she  might  not  lose  her  settlement;  for,  by  the 
laws  of  Poland,  whoever  enjoys  any  advantages  from 
the  public,  must  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  kingdom; 
and  a  very  wise  and  just  law  this  is.  But,  though 
she  had  lost  the  throne,  there  still  remained  Prince 
Charles,  whom  she  married  in  1G7S;  and  if  love 
could  have  made  amends  to  ambitious  minds,  Elea- 
nora  might  have  been  fully  satisfied. 

The  new  queen,  though  her  ambition  had  been  so 
amply  gratified,  was  yet  eagerly  desirous  of  a  further 
object.  The  King  was  contented  with  having  de- 
served the  crown,  but  she  was  impatient  to  try  it  on. 
To  hereditary  kings,  the  coronation  is  a  mere  cere- 
mony, which  adds  nothing  to  the  authority  they 
derive  from  their  birth ;  but,  to  elective  i)rinces,  it  is 
a  solemn  and  necessary  act,  which  puts  them  in  pos- 
session of  sovereign  power.  The  interval  between 
the  election  and  coronation  is  a  continuation  of  the 
interregiuim,  which  still  leaves  the  government  in 
the  hands  of  the  Primate.     The  new  king  dates  his 


102  THE  LIFE  OF 

reign  only  from  the  day  when  he  is  crowned,  and  his 
hands  are  so  tied  up,  that  he  cannot  sign  himself 
"  King/'  without  adding  "  elect  " ;  just  as  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  of  America  receives  no 
authority,  no  distinction,  no  honor,  until  after  his 
inauguration. 

ISTotwithstanding  so  many  disadvantages,  to  which 
Sobieski  might  have  put  an  end  with  a  single  word, 
Ee~was~iaore  in  haste  to  avenge  his  country  than  to 
reign  over  it.  In  this  respect  he  stood  not  alone  but 
in  a  very  small  company  of  men.  He  had  gained 
the  crown  solely  by  his  own  merit,  and  he  now  3e- 
f^red  his 'eof'ohation  to  give  hims^lf^up  entirely  to 
the  war  against  the  Turks.  The  Republic  I'epaid 
t^is  act  of  generosity  with  another;  for  the  law  was 
broken  through  on  this  occasion,  and  he  was  author- 
ized to  date  his  reign  from  the  day  of  his  election; 
to^  decide  peace  and  war.  This  was  a  generous  act 
of  the  nation,  but  well  deserved,  and  it  also  author- 
ized him  to  publish  universals  under  his  privy-seal, 
for  the  assembling  of  the  Diets  and  the  Pospolite,  in 
case  of  necessity,  to  send  dispatches  to  foreign  courts 
under  the  same  seal ;  and  to  fill  up  vacant  offices. 

Mohammed  had  no  design  of  avenging,  this  year, 
the  defeat  of  Choczin.  Cuprogli  was  lately  dead,  and 
some  of  the  last  words  that  he  spoke,  fixing  his  eyes 
upon  the  Alcoran,  were  these :  "  Prophet,  I  shall 
soon  see  whether  thy  words  are  true;  but,  be  they 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  108 

true  or  false,  I  am  sure  of  being  happy,  if  virtue  be 
the  best  of  all  religions."  These  memorable  words 
can  be  uttered  by  few  men,  but  in  this  case  they  were 
spoken  with  all  sincerity.  Though  classed  as  an  in- 
fidel, as  the  Christians  called  the  Mohammedans,  this 
great  man  had  all  the  virtues  of  the  men  enlightened 
by  the  followers  of  the  Nazarene.  The  death  of  this 
great  man  left  the  Ottoman  Empire  in  a  state  of 
languor;  and  John  III  thought  it  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity to  reap  the  fruits  of  his  victory.  His  first 
object  w^as  to  recover  the  Ukraine ;  the  Cossacks  hav- 
ing given  themselves  to  the  Turks,  in  a  mere  fit  of 
despair;  and  already  felt  the  weight  of  their  new 
yoke.  They  would  not  venture  to  make  trial  of  the 
King's  clemency ;  but,  being  informed  that  he  w^as 
marching  against  them,  and  that  Mohammed  did  not 
arm  in  their  defense,  they  looked  out  for  a  third  mas- 
ter, and  fled  by  troops  to  the  Russian  territories,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Borysthenes. 

Mohammed,  however,  sent  an  order  to  the  Cham  of 
Tartary  to  defend  the  Ukraine  with  all  his  forces, 
upon  pain  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of  the  Porte. 

Paz,  with  his  Lithuanians,  joined  the  Polish  army 
in  the  beginning  of  September.  His  equal  and  his 
rival  was  now  become  his  King;  but  the  majesty  of 
the  monarch  did  not  humble  the  pride  of  the  subject. 
This  was  very  characteristic  of  the  Polish  noblemen. 
They  esteemed  that  one  who  was  the  maker  of  the 


104  THE  LIFE  OE 

King  was  as  great  as  the  King  himself.  Paz  ordered 
a  dnun-major  of  his  army  to  be  hanged,  for  daring 
to  beat  the  general  by  the  King's  order,  without  wait- 
ing for  his  order.  Hard  at  all  times  is  the  fate  of 
inferiors  who  come  in  the  way  of  two  contending 
powers!  John  took  no  notice  of  the  affront. 
Whether  he  did  right  or  wrong,  his  conduct  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Senators,  who  were  then  in  the  army, 
because  they  had  need  of  Paz.  The  King  gave  up 
his  own  resentment  to  the  Eepublic;  and  exceeded 
the  promises  he  made  at  his  election ;  for  he  paid  the 
troops  with  his  own  money  during  this  whole  cam- 
paign, and  entered  the  Ukraine  at  the  head  of  be- 
tween thirty  and  thirty-five  thousand  men.  Earely, 
if  ever,  before  or  since,  in  the  world's  history,  has 
a  king  or  sovereign  paid  his  army  from  his  own 
purse.  Several  places  surrendered  at  the  firing  of 
the  first  cannon.  The  monarch's  clemency  induced 
several  of  the  Cossacks  to  come  over  to  the  Polish 
service ;  and  thus  a  great  deal  of  Cossack  and  Polish 
blood  was  spared.  Had  the  diplomacy  of  Sobieski 
prevailed  at  the  beginning  of  Michael's  reign,  all  of 
this  valuable  force  would  by  now  have  been  loyal  to 
the  republic.  The  Cham,  with  a  hundred  thousand 
Tartars,  contented  himself  with  harassing  the  Polish 
army,  but  would  not  venture  a  battle. 

Human,  the  largest  and  most  populous  town  in  the 
Ukraine,  was  in  daily  expectation  of  its  subsequent 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  105 

fate.  It  contained  nearly  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  a  numerous  garrison;  but  John  III  be- 
sieged and  took  it  in  the  Cham's  presence;  and  to 
show  his  contempt  of  the  Tartar,  divided  his  army, 
in  order  to  carry  on  different  operations  at  the  same 
time ;  for  the  frost  and  snow  gave  intimation  that  no 
time  was  to  be  lost.  Paz  drove  the  Tartars  before 
him,  routed  all  their  small  parties,  and  favored  by 
this  means  all  the  attempts  of  the  army ;  but  his  zeal 
cooled  at  last  and  he  took  the  road  to  Lithuania,  con- 
trary to  the  promise  which  ho  had  given  the  King. 
Here,  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  in  Poland  the 
authority  of  the  King  is  binding  only  to  a  certain 
degree;  the  Grand-general  scarce  feels  it  at  all; 
nevertheless,  the  action  of  the  Grand-general  at  this 
critical  moment  of  the  campaign  was  an  imperative 
duty. 

Had  it  not  been  for  this  defection,  the  King  would 
have  completed  the  conquest  of  the  Ukraine,  a  coun- 
try which  had  been  a  scene  of  slaughter  for  thirty 
years  together;  being,  therefore,  no  longer  able  to 
keep  the  field  with  the  remnant  of  his  forces,  he  dis- 
tributed them  among  the  conquered  places.  As  for 
himself,  instead  of  going  to  mix  witli  his  court  in 
the  pleasures  of  ^Yarsaw,  he  fixed  his  winter  quarters 
at  Braclaw,  a  place  that  every  one  dreaded.  Here 
he  experienced  the  labors  of  royalty  before  he  had 
tasted    its    pleasures.     His    presence    produced    two 


106  THE  LIFE  OF 

good  effects.  It  kept  the  Poles  from  deserting,  for 
they  dared  not  murmur  or  even  cast  a  look  towards 
Poland,  when  they  saw  the  King  share  their  fatigues. 
This  action  is  always  characteristic  of  the  great,  and 
later  in  our  Civil  War  (the  Rebellion  of  1861  in  the 
United  States  of  America),  Grant  and  Sherman  did 
likewise.  This  gives  heart  and  courage  to  the  soldier 
and  inspires  him  with  patriotism.  It  also  restrained 
the  Tartars  who  were  preparing  to  take  advantage  of 
the  Pazs'  defection,  and  the  extreme  rigor  of  the 
season.  No  horses  in  the  world  are  comparable  to 
those  of  the  Tartars  for  bearing  fatigue,  and  the  Tar- 
tars are  at  least  as  hardy  as  their  horses. 

The  Cham,  seeing  the  Polish  army  diminished  and 
separated,  gave  his  son,  Sultan  Galga,  a  part  of  his 
forces,  in  order  to  attack  the  Poles  on  the  side  of 
Human  and  Raskow,  while  he  himself  fell  upon 
Braclaw  and  Kalnik.  He  even  undertook  the  siege 
of  the  latter  place,  and  employed  the  Cossacks  on 
that  service;  for  the  Tartars  never  make  war  but  on 
horseback.  But  Sobieski  did  not  give  him  time  to 
carry  on  his  work ;  he  presented  himself  in  the  fight 
of  the  Tartars,  and  the  siege  was  raised. 

At  last,  the  Cham  resolved  to  close  all  with  a  de- 
cisive blow.  Sultan  Galga  had  met  with  such  a  re- 
ception everywhere,  that  he  dared  not  make  any 
attempt;  the  Cham,  therefore,  united  all  his  forces, 
and  appeared  before  the  gates  of  Braclaw,  where 


KING  JOHN"  SOBIESKI  107 

Sobieski  had  shut  himself  up  ^vltll  a  small  force. 
The  Cham's  design  was  either  to  draw  him  from  be- 
hind the  walls,  or  to  leave  him  the  mortification  of  not 
daring  to  come  out.  But  the  King  suffered  him  to 
dauce  attendance  for  some  days ;  and,  at  a  time  when 
he  least  expected  it,  made  a  sally  with  his  cavalry; 
attacked  him,  saber  in  hand,  and  the  Cham  lost  two 
thousand  men  and  many  prisoners  in  an  hour's  time. 
The  Cham,  being  worsted  upon  all  occasions,  and 
unable  to  obtain  booty  in  a  country  which  he  was 
ordered  to  defend,  retired  to  his  own  dominions,  and 
left  the  Poles  in  peace ;  but  this  peace  was  soon  to  be 
succeeded  by  a  greater  alarm  than  ever. 


CHAPTEE  XI 

MOHAMMED,  at  length,  roused  Mmself 
from  his  inertness,  and  devoted  his 
thoughts  to  revenge.  The  breaking  of 
the  treaty  of  Bouchaz,  the  defeat  at 
Choczin,  the  insolence  of  the  Poles,  whom  he  consid- 
ered nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  conquered  people ; 
their  real  weakness,  and  the  greatness  of  his  own 
strength;  all  served  to  provoke  him.  The  general, 
to  whom  he  had  entrusted  his  revenge,  was  Kara- 
Mustapha,  a  mere  courtier,  educated  in  the  seraglio, 
who,  by  the  charms  of  his  person,  had  gained  the  good 
graces  of  the  Sultana  Valike.  The  rendezvous  was 
appointed  at  Bender,  the  place  Avhere  Charles  XII, 
though  a  prisoner,  still  made  himself  feared. 

The  triumphs  of  the  King  hindered  the  distresses 
of  the  Republic  from  being  felt ;  but  they  were  now 
aggravated  beyond  measure  and  every  one  murmured 
against  him  as  the  author  of  the  war.  Discourses  of 
this  sort,  under  an  absolute  monarchy,  pass  off  like 
a  fleeting  cloud.  The  monarch,  whether  he  hears 
them  or  not,  ruins  or  saves  his  own  people  in  his  o\vn 
way.     But,  in  a  mixed  government,  the  King  must 

108 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  109 

subdue  his  own  subjects  by  reason,  before  he  can  con- 
quer his  enemies  by  force. 

In  order  to  allay  the  apprehensions  of  Poland,  the 
King  quitted  the  Ukraine,  after  leaving  garrisons  be- 
hind him,  and  led  the  rest  of  his  troops  to  Leopol, 
about  the  close  of  April,  1675.  His  anny,  if  it 
deserved  that  name,  was  much  diminished  by  sieges, 
skirmishes,  the  severity  of  the  winter,  and  disorders. 
He  raised  recruits  in  the  greatest  haste,  but  was 
forced  to  drag  them  out  of  the  arms  of  consternation 
and  discontent.  His  power  over  the  minds  of  men 
must  have  been  most  extraordinary  and  equal  to  his 
reputation,  or  the  Republic  would  never  have  con- 
sented to  expose  itself  with  him.  He  sent  orders  to 
the  Lithuanians  to  join  him  immediately,  after  hav- 
ing written  to  the  Grand-general  Paz  in  a  style  that 
was  likely  to  make  an  impression  on  him;  and  then 
formed  his  plan  of  action.  Judging  of  the  Vizier's 
abilities  by  his  own,  and  a  wise  man  always  does  that, 
he  doubted  not  of  seeing  him  fall  u]ion  the  palatinate 
of  Russia,  which  would  open  a  way  into  the  heart  of 
Poland.  Upon  this  supposition,  he  entrusted  the 
wise  Jablonowski  with  six  thousand  men,  and  or- 
dered him  to  intrench  himself  under  the  cannon  of 
Zloczow,  that  he  might  guard  that  pass.  He  had 
only  twelve  thousand  men  left  to  sustain  the  weight 
of  the  war.  Leopol,  though  a  weak  and  wretched 
fortress,  was  yet  of  the  utmost  importance,  as  it  cov- 


110  THE  LIFE  OE 

ered  Kussia  and  the  neighboring  provinces.  At  the 
gates  of  this  city,  King  John  sat  down  to  wait  for 
the  enemy,  and  was  greatly  astonished  when  he 
heard,  in  the  beginning  of  July,  that  the  Vizier  had 
entered  the  Ukraine  to  throw  away  his  time  in  be- 
sieging Human,  instead  of  advancing  instantly  to 
crush  the  little  army  of  the  King,  that  on  this  occa- 
sion was  so  small  and  insignij&cant  that  it  would 
seem  that  the  first  object  he  could  have  had  would 
have  been  the  destruction  of  this  army  with  its  great 
leader,  and  then  he  could  do  what  he  desired  at 
pleasure,  for  it  would  have  left  Poland  at  his  mercy. 
The  quick  eye  of  Sobieski  detected  this  great  mistake 
of  his  opponent,  and  no  one  could  have  seen  the  mis- 
take of  an  enemy  quicker  than  Sobieski,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Since  he  knows  no  better  than  this,  I  will 
give  a  good  account  of  his  army,  before  the  end  of 
the  campaign." 

The  defense  of  the  city  was  at  that  time  a  great 
responsibility.  In  a  war  among  the  Powers  of  Eu- 
rope, the  worst  that  happens  when  a  city  is  surren- 
dered is  to  continue  a  prisoner  of  war  till  an 
exchange  be  settled ;  but,  between  the  Turks  and  the 
Poles,  the  mildest  fate  is  perpetual  slavery,  which 
to  a  brave  man  is  more  terrible  than  death  itself; 
from  Kara-Mustapha  there  was  reason  to  dread  the 
worst  of  horrors. 

Human  held  out  fifteen  days  against  this  great 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  111 

army.  The  artillery  of  the  Turks  was  of  an  enor- 
mous weight,  and  their  threats  terrible.  At  length, 
the  place,  havinc^  several  breaches  in  its  walls,  and 
being  without  hope  of  succor,  was  compelled  to  sur- 
render ;  but  the  Vizier,  with  a  barbarity  scarce  to  be 
])ardoned  when  a  to\\Ti  is  taken  by  storm,  glutted 
himself  with  blood.  Twenty  thousand  souls  per- 
ished in  this  awful  slaughter;  and  many  an  infant 
was  seen  vomiting  up  milk,  mixed  with  blood,  upon 
its  mother's  breast.  The  Vizier's  design  was  unques- 
tionably to  frighten  Poland,  and  subdue  it  by  means 
of  terror. 

Human  had  cost  him  too  great  an  expense  of  time 
and  men  to  undertake  more  sieges  in  the  Ukraine; 
ho  therefore  turned  towards  the  left,  and  advanced 
iy  quick  marches  into  Podolia.  The  same  acts  of 
cruelty  were  repeated  everywhere  and  it  produced 
two  difTercnt  effects:  The  pusillanimous  surren- 
dered at  the  first  attack,  in  order  to  save  their  lives; 
but  the  courageous  sought  only  to  die  with  arms  in 
their  hands. 

This  last  was  the  character  of  him  who  defended 
Sbaras,  a  large  castle  covered  with  outworks,  situ- 
ated upon  a  hill,  and  making  part  of  the  large 
domain  of  Wiesnowicski,  petty-general  of  the  Polish 
army,  who  had  garrisoned  it  with  six  hundred  foot, 
commanded  by  Des  Auteuils,  a  French  nobleman. 
It  was  not  easy  to  put  the  place  into  better  hands. 


112  THE  LIFE  OE 

He  defended  himself  with  vigor  for  two  weeks,  while 
the  Vizier  raved  and  threatened  at  his  usual  rate. 
There  were  several  noble  families  who  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  castle  and  pressed  Des  Auteuils  to  sur- 
render; hut  he  was  deaf  to  the  suggestions  of  fear 
and  threatened  to  turn  them  out  of  the  place  if  he 
heard  any  more  of  this  cowardly  proposal.  The 
wretches  said  no  more;  but,  taking  an  opportunity 
when  Des  Auteuils  could  make  no  resistance,  they 
gave  him  several  mortal  wounds,  and  threw  him  over 
the  walls.  The  Vizier  himself  was  struck  with  hor- 
ror at  this  act  of  villainy;  and  covering  his  natural 
cruelty  with  the  mask  of  justice,  he  cut  off  every 
head  that  he  found  in  the  place,  to  revenge  the  death 
of  the  commander.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the 
Vizier,  in  this  instance,  was  actuated  purely  from  the 
best  of  impulses.  A  traitor  is  always  despised,  a 
coward  is  hated  of  God  and  man,  and  when  this  was 
coupled  with  the  assassination  of  the  brave  defender, 
it  was  too  terrible  and  contemptible  even  for  the 
Turk,  and  in  this  way  he  showed  his  opinion  of  them. 
The  barbarian  by  these  bloody  conquests  was  only 
preparing  a  way  for  a  complete  victory  that  he  had 
planned  in  his  own  mind.  When  he  sat  do^vn  before 
Sbaras,  he  detached  fifty  thousand  men,  under  the 
command  of  Sultan  ISTuradin,  with  orders  to  attack 
the  King  without  giving  quarter  to  any  one,  and  to 
spread  destruction  on  all  sides  as  he  marched. 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  113 

The  King's  army,  which  was  encamped  at  Leo- 
pol,  had  received  some  additions.  Tlie  whole 
amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  men.  Paz,  though  the 
danger  was  extreme,  made  no  haste  to  join  tlie  King 
with  his  Lithuanians.  It  must  be  ever  borne  in  mind 
that  the  Lithuanians  are  really  not  Poles.  They  be- 
came a  part  of  Poland  by  the  marriage  of  their 
Prince  with  the  celebrated  Polish  Queen,  Iledwig, 
and  this  will  account,  to  a  great  extent,  for  the  seem- 
ing indifference  of  their  commander  in  many  cam- 
paigns, and  was  often  an  occasion  of  embarrassment 
to  the  King. 

It  is  astonishing  that  the  Vizier,  instead  of  em- 
ploying himself  in  taking  weak  places,  did  not  come 
in  person  to  give  battle  to  the  King.  This  was  the 
affair  of  honor,  the  capital  point  which  would  deter- 
mine all  the  rest.  The  Tartar  whom  he  charged 
with  this  commission  had  no  contemptible  reputa- 
tion, and  in  a  way  he  was  considered  one  of  their 
ablest  soldiers;  the  best  thing,  however,  that  he  did, 
and  this  is  important  indeed  in  the  commander,  was 
to  advance  with  great  rapidity.  His  march  resem- 
bled a  devouring  fire;  all  the  villages  and  hamlets 
were  burned  by  his  order.  He  appeared  as  (piick  as 
lightning  before  Jablonowski's  little  camp.  He  even 
made  an  attempt  upon  the  intrenchments ;  but  that 
general  soon  convinced  him  that  it  would  not  be  an 
easy  matter  to  gain  any  advantage  over  him,  and  the 


114  THE  LIFE  OF 

Tartar  had  a  mind  to  preserve  all  his  forces  for  a 
more  important  campaign.  The  quickness  of  his 
march,  and  his  care  to  intercept  all  the  Polish  cou- 
riers were  so  well  conducted  that,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  flames  which  drew  near  to  Leopol,  the  King, 
who  was  never  before  surprised,  would  have  been 
now.  Early  in  the  morning,  the  Poles  perceived 
the  enemy's  army,  consisting  wholly  of  Turkish  and 
Tartarian  horse,  in  a  vast  plain  ending  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains.  Though  it  was  only  the  month 
of  August,  it  snowed  hard;  there  fell  also  a  heavy 
shower  of  hail,  which  happened  to  incommode  the 
Infidels  more  than  the  Christians.  All  the  priests, 
bishops,  and  bad  philosophers  in  the  Christian  army 
cried  out,  "  A  miracle,"  and  the  memoirs  of  that 
time  credulously  state  that  it  really  was  one.  The 
King  made  use  of  it  to  inspire  his  little  army  with 
confidence,  without  neglecting  the  precautions  of 
human  prudence.  He  did  not  wait  for  the  enemy 
in  his  camp,  but  ascended  the  rising  grounds  where 
he  ordered  the  Towarisz  to  plant  their  lances  upon 
the  highest  summit,  in  order  to  appear  more  numer- 
ous to  the  enemy,  who  had  already  reached  the  foot 
of  the  mountains.  He  ordered  his  own  regiment  of 
dragoons  to  descend  the  hill,  in  small  parties,  under 
cover  of  the  bushes ;  and  these  dragoons,  by  firing  at 
a  very  small  distance,  forced  the  enemy's  vanguard 
to   retire.     A  Polish   squadron   filled   the   first   va- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  115 

cancy ;  others  pressing  on,  formed  in  the  same  man- 
ner; and  the  whole  army  was  soon  dra\sTi  up  in 
battle  array,  Avhile  the  lances  of  the  Towarisz  were 
still  to  be  seen  upon  the  eminences. 

The  Infidels,  seeing  no  more  troops  coming  down 
and  trusting  to  their  superior  number,  began  the 
charge  with  cries  and  bowlings  which  probably 
would  have  had  fatal  effects  upon  an  army  that  heard 
them  for  the  first  time,  but  the  Poles  felt  no  terror 
at  the  noise  of  their  enemies;  although  their  attack 
was  really  dreadful  and  made  them  stagger.  The 
King  restored  order  and  suffered  the  Infidels  to 
throw  away  their  first  fire.  They  returned  to  the 
attack  several  times  and  the  Poles  contented  them- 
selves with  giving  them  a  warm  reception.  The 
King  had  placed  a  body  in  ambuscade  to  take  them 
in  flank,  and  a  battery  was  advancing  upon  a  hill 
to  i^lay  upon  them.  This  was  the  moment  for  which 
the  King  had  waited  to  attack  them  in  his  turn. 
Never  was  there  a  general  more  determined,  nor  did 
the  Polish  troops  ever  display  greater  valor.  The 
Infidels,  being  attacked  in  front  and  in  flank,  gave 
way  at  the  second  charge  and  from  this  instant  the 
confusion  increased  among  them.  They  were  pur- 
sued to  a  deep  morass  where  a  great  number  per- 
ished. They  left  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  thou- 
sand upon  the  field  of  battle,  and  night  saved  the 
rest.     Nuradin  had  boasted  that  he  would  take  the 


116  THE  LIFE  OF 

King  prisoner  and  present  him  to  the  Vizir,  but  he 
narrowly  escaped  being  taken  himself  and  carried 
the  news  of  his  own  defeat  to  the  camp  at  Sbaras. 

The  Vizier,  struck  with  consternation,  resolved 
upon  finishing  the  campaign  with  some  important 
blow;  it  was  not  by  marching  in  person  against  the 
conqueror  and  wresting  from  him  his  victory,  but 
by  taking  Trembowla,  at  the  entrance  of  Podolia,  a 
fortress  with  large  and  strong  outworks,  hanging 
upon  a  rock,  the  access  to  which  is  practicable  only 
in  one  place  which  leads  to  a  little  plain  covered 
with  a  thick  w^ood.  In  order  to  succeed  the  sooner 
in  his  design  and  spare  the  blood  of  the  janizaries, 
he  made  use  of  art  before  he  had  recourse  to  violence. 
He  was  uneasy  at  the  reputation  of  the  Governor, 
Samuel  Chrasonowski,  a  renegade  Jew  who  had  quit- 
ted the  laws  of  Moses  for  that  of  Jesus  and  was  more 
zealous  against  his  brethren  of  the  circumcision  than 
if  he  had  never  undergone  that  operation  himself. 
The  Vizir  employed  a  Polish  prisoner,  Makowiski, 
to  represent  to  him  by  letters  "  that  it  would  be  rash 
to  persist  obstinately  in  the  defense  of  a  place  that 
must  eventually  be  taken  and  that  he  ought  rather 
think  of  deserving  the  victor's  clemency  than  pro- 
voking his  wrath." 

Chrasonowski  returned  a  double  answer;  one  to 
Makowiski,  in  these  terms :  "  I  am  not  at  all  sur- 
prised that,  being  in  irons,  thou  hast  the  soul  of  a 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  117 

slave ;  but  what  astonishes  me  is  the  daring  to  talk 
of  the  Vizier's  clemency,  after  what  has  happened  to 
several  places  and  thyself.  Farewell:  All  the 
harm  I  wish  thee  is  that  thou  maycst  live  long  in 
the  infamy  and  servitude  thou  descrvest.  Annihila- 
tion would  be  to  thee  a  blessing  but  thou  hast  not 
tho  courage  to  confer  it  upon  thyself." 

The  answer  to  the  Vizier  was  not  less  haughty: 
"  Thou  art  mistaken  if  thou  expectest  to  find  gold 
within  these  walls ;  we  have  nothing  here  but  steel 
and  soldiers;  our  number  indeed  is  small  but  our 
courage  is  great.  Do  not  flatter  thyself  that  we  will 
surrender  for  thou  shalt  never  take  us  till  we  have 
all  breathed  our  last.  I  am  preparing  to  give  thee 
another  answer  by  the  mouth  of  my  cannon." 

The  Vizier,  white  with  rage,  ordered  the  place  to 
be  assaulted  with  all  imaginable  fury.  The  place 
defended  itself  beyond  what  could  be  expected,  and 
the  M'ifc  of  the  Jewish  Governor,  equally  beautiful 
with  Judith  and  more  enterprising,  having  no  op- 
portunity, like  her,  to  cut  off  the  head  of  the  Vizir 
while  ho  slept,  made  great  havoc  of  the  Turks  in 
sallies  conducted  by  herself;  filled  up  their  trenches 
and  fought  upon  the  breach.  But  what  can  the 
brave  do,  when  the  cowards  are  more  numerous  and 
demand  surrender  ? 

Chrasonowski  had  the  same  inconvenience  to 
struggle   with,   which   had   been   the   destruction   of 


118  THE  LIFE  OF 

Des  Auteuils  and  Sbaras.  The  nobility  who  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  place,  seeing  a  breach  made  and 
grow  wider  every  hour,  and  dreading  the  implacable 
fury  of  the  Vizir  if  they  stood  a  storm,  lost  courage. 
Their  despair  was  the  greater  as  they  expected  no 
relief ;  but  they  were  mistaken  in  this  particular,  for 
the  Lithuanian  army  had  at  length  joined  the  Poles 
in  the  camp  before  Leopol.  The  King  was  upon 
his  march  and,  by  calling  in,  upon  the  way,  the  small 
body  under  Jablonowski,  his  strength  amounted  to 
thirty-three  thousand  men,  but,  as  there  was  no  news 
at  Trembowla  of  this  relief,  it  had  no  eifect  in  the 
present  critical  juncture.  Instead  of  continuing  to 
defend  themselves,  as  they  had  hitherto  done,  the 
nobles  communicated  their  apprehensions  and  fears 
to  the  officers  of  the  garrison.  The  Jewish  heroine 
heard  their  consultations  from  a  place  where  she 
could  not  be  perceived  and  there  she  learned  that 
they  were  fully  determined  to  surrender.  She  at 
once  flew  to  her  husband  and  acquainted  him  with 
it,  in  the  thickest  of  the  fire.  The  brave  commander 
ran  to  this  assembly  of  cowards :  "  It  is  by  no 
means  certain/'  said  he,  ''  that  the  enemy  will  over- 
power us;  hut  it  is  absolutely  true  that  I  will  blow 
you  up  in  this  very  room  if  you  persist  in  your  base 
design.  There  are  soldiers  at  the  door,  with  their 
matches  lighted,  on  purpose  to  execute  my  orders/' 
The  prospect  of  inevitable  death  put  arms  again  into 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  119 

their  hands  and  they  endeavored  to  wipe  off  this 
stain. 

The  Vizier  was  not  ignorant  that  the  King  was 
marching  to  relieve  the  town  and  therefore  hastened 
his  attack.  The  place  had  already  been  assaulted 
four  times  and  Chrasonowski,  himself,  feared  what 
the  fifth  might  do.  His  wife  mistook  this  just  con- 
cern for  a  mark  of  weakness  that  boded  no  good. 
A  woman,  once  over  the  natural  timidity  of  her  sex, 
becomes  more  than  man.  This  Roman  of  the  North, 
armed  with  two  poniards,  said  to  her  husband : 
"  One  of  these  is  destined  for  thee,  if  thou  sur- 
renderest  the  town;  the  other  I  intend  for  myself." 

It  was  in  this  moment  of  distress  that  the  Polish 
army  arrived.  The  Vizier  raised  the  siege,  not  dar- 
ing to  try  his  fortune  against  that  of  the  King,  but 
ho  was  forced  to  it  in  this  event,  becaiise  he  took  his 
measures  too  late.  He  repassed  the  Janow,  a  river 
near  the  towTi,  with  all  haste;  but  half  his  army  be- 
ing still  on  this  side  of  the  river.  King  John  attacked 
it  finally,  crying  out  to  the  foremost  squadrons, 
"  that  ho  required  nothing  of  them  but  that  he  would 
set  them  an  example  of  himself."  Indeed  this  had 
distinguished  him  in  all  his  battles  and  in  all  his 
campaigns;  to  make  himself  one  with  his  army, 
shirking  nothing,  never  hesitating,  particularly  in 
danger  and  exposure.  The  battle  lasted  a  long  while 
and  the  Turks  lost  eight  thousand  men  and  retired, 


120  KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

in  dismay  and  consternation,  under  the  cannon  of 
Kamieniec. 

The  garrisons  of  the  places  which  the  Turks  had 
captured  did  not  wait  for  the  vengeance  of  the  Poles, 
but  abandoned  them  to  go  and  rejoin  the  army. 
Trembowla  owed  its  deliverance  to  the  intrepidity  of 
Chrasonowski  and  gratefully  confessed  it.  He  him- 
self was  raised  to  military  honors ;  his  wife  contented 
herself  with  the  applauses  of  the  nation.  No  woman 
ever  deserved  it  more  than  this  brave,  more  than 
Spartan,  woman  and,  for  the  time  being,  all  of  the 
absurd  prejudices  against  her  race  and  her  religion 
were  forgotten.  They  only  thought  of  her  magnifi- 
cent womanhood  and  proclaimed  her  as  a  heroine  of 
the  nation. 

Kara-Mustapha  was  now  taught  that  superior 
numbers,  cruelty,  and  presumption  are  not  sufficient 
to  insure  victory.  He  staid  some  time  at  Kamieniec 
and  then  directed  his  march  towards  the  Danube. 
This  campaign  had  served  to  teach  nations  of  in- 
ferior strength  not  to  despair  when  they  have  a  great 
leader  at  their  head. 

The  army  now  retired  into  winter  quarters  and 
King  John  went  to  repose  himself  at  Zolkiew,  a  town 
in  the  palatinate  of  Russia,  nine  miles  from  Leopol, 
which  made  part  of  the  estate  of  the  Zolkiewskis,  his 
ancestors  on  the  mother's  side. 


CHAPTER  XTI 

IN  the  meantime,  Warsaw  was  impatient  to  en- 
joy aaain  the  presence  of  its  King.  The  eight- 
een months  whioh  had  passed  since  his  election 
lie  had  employed  in  a  manner  that  made  him 
still  more  worthy  of  the  crown;  but  the  crown  was 
not  yet  resting-  upon  his  noble  head.  He  therefore 
comj)licd  with  the  wishes  of  his  capital  and  his 
coronation  was  fixed  for  the  second  of  May,  1670. 

Persons  who  are  fond  of  magnificent  displays,  and 
do  not  consider  what  they  cost  the  public,  would  have 
boon  struck  with  the  splendor  of  this.  All  the  mag- 
nificence of  Asia  was  seen  united  with  all  the  ele- 
gance of  Europe.  Slaves  from  Ethiopia  and  the 
East,  clothed  in  azure  habits;  young  Poles  in  juirple 
robes,  a  whole  army  dressed  to  the  greatest  advan- 
tage; the  ecpiipages,  men  and  horses  contending  with 
each  other  in  splendor;  the  gold  eclipsed  by  jewels. 
Such  was  the  procession  in  the  midst  of  which  Sobi- 
cski  appeared  upon  a  Persian  horse,  going  to  take 
possession  of  a  crown  which  he  had  earned  by  his 
virtues. 

^fohanuned,  full  of  wrath  and  indiiiiiation  at  a 
little  Kepublic  that  dared  to  contend  with  him,  or- 
dered an  army  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 

Turks  and  eighty  thousand  Tartars,  making  a  total 

121 


122  THE  LIFE  OF 

of  two  hundred  thousand,  to  avenge  the  honor  of  the 
crescent.  The  command  of  this  army  was  given  to 
Ibrahim  Shaitan,  a  man  of  cool  valor,  great  experi- 
ence, and  a  second  Ulysses  for  stratagem.  The  sur- 
name of  Shaitan,  which  signifies  "  Devil,"  was  in- 
tended to  express  this  last  quality.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  victories  of  her  King,  Poland  was  still  upon 
the  brink  of  ruin.  Thirty-eight  thousand  fighting 
men  were  assembled  near  Leopol,  and,  with  this 
small  number,  King  John  marched  against  two  hun- 
dred thousand.  After  a  variety  of  fortune  on  both 
sides,  yet  without  coming  to  any  decisive  battle,  the 
King  found  means  to  have  an  honorable  peace  rati- 
fied for  Poland,  which  was  signed  on  the  29th  day 
of  October  of  the  same  year. 

Ibrahim  had  not  yet  done  all  that  he  could  with 
so  gTeat  a  force ;  but  King  John  had  done  much  more 
than  could  possibly  be  expected.  When  he  passed 
the  Niester,  to  stop  two  such  armies  upon  the  fron- 
tiers, all  Europe  accused  him  of  rashness  and  gave 
him  over  for  lost.  But  heroes  judge  better  of  one 
another;  the  great  Conde  admired  his  conduct  and 
congratulated  him  on  it  by  letter. 

And  yet,  when  we  reflect  on  the  cause  of  so  long 
a  war,  who  is  there  that  will  dare  to  be  an  advocate 
for  severity?  The  Cossacks  complained  of  oppres- 
sion, were  not  listened  to,  and  revolted.  Common 
justice  and  mild  treatment  would  have  quieted  the 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  123 

commotion.  Wild  and  war-like  and  impatient  of 
restraint  as  the  Cossacks  were,  they  yielded  readily 
to  kindness  and  to  justice,  but,  alas!  Poland  was  no 
exception  to  the  tendency  of  a  nation  toward  a  con- 
quered people.  Such  conduct  has  invariably  been 
one  of  oppression;  rigor  involved  their  governors 
in  a  war  of  thirty-eight  years'  continuance.  The 
Turks  took  part  in  the  quarrel  and  every  campaign 
seemed  to  open  the  grave  of  Poland.  At  length  the 
catastrophe  came,  and  gave  occasion  for  deploring 
equally  the  power  of  princes  and  the  misery  of  sub- 
jects. In  four  campaigns,  Mohammed  lost  more 
than  two  hundred  thousand  men,  and  expended  sums 
sufficient  to  have  relieved  millions  of  unhappy  per- 
sons. By  so  great  a  waste  of  men  and  money,  what 
advantages  did  he  reap  ?  A  few  places  in  Podolia 
and  the  Ukraine,  which  he  was  not  sure  of  possessing 
for  any  length  of  time. 

On  the  other  side,  Poland  thought  itself  suffi- 
ciently recompensed  for  all  the  ravages,  burnings, 
depopulations  and  horrors  it  had  suffered  by  being 
delivered  from  the  tribute  yielded  by  a  weak,  im- 
potent king  and  nobles ;  at  the  time  Sobicski  was 
not  in  council,  but  was  fighting  the  battles  of  Poland, 
turning  back  another  great  army  that  threatened  to 
overwhelm  his  country,  and  all  this  sentence  of  death 
still  upon  him.  No  wonder  Poland,  with  Sobieski 
for  king,  felt  amply  repaid ! 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IT  was  now  a  long  time  that  the  Republic  had 
supported  itself  by  dint  of  arms.  At  length  it 
began  to  take  breath  under  the  laurels  with 
which  its  hero  had  crowned  it  and  the  seven 
succeeding  years  were  years  of  peace.  During  this 
period,  some  domestic  affairs  and  negotiations  with 
foreign  Powers  deserve  our  notice ;  but,  as  they  come 
short  of  the  glory  our  ideas  generally  annex  to  mili- 
tary exploits  we  shall  still  consider  the  King  in  that 
capacity. 

In  16S0  King  John  turned  towards  the  House  of 
Austria,  from  which  he  expected  great  assistance 
in  an  expedition  the  plan  of  which  he  had  laid.  He 
knew,  by  his  intelligence  in  the  seraglio,  that  Mo- 
hammed intended  to  attack  the  Emperor  Leopold,  but 
as  yet  it  was  only  a  project,  as  the  Turks  generally 
make  immense  armaments,  there  is  time  for  action 
while  they  are  getting  ready.  He  knew  also  that 
Mohammed,  depending  upon  the  late  treaty  with  Po- 
land, had  left  Kamieniec  and  Podolia  without  any 
great  defense. 

The  loss  of  the  former  was  incessantly  regretted 
by  the  Republic,  and  its  recovery  would  bring  great 
glory  to  the  King,  for  let  the  reader  remember  that 

124 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  125 

this  stronghold  of  the  Republic  had  been  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Turks  and  it  was  an  eyesore  to  the 
King.  Mohammed  indeed  had  reason  to  be  without 
apprehension,  if  treaties  between  Christians  and  In- 
fidels are  obligator}';  but  people  form  their  ideas 
of  morality  ujion  the  principles  of  the  acre,  and  the 
place  in  which  they  live.  Rome  was  always  ready 
to  absolve  the  Poles  from  the  oaths  they  had  sworn 
to  the  Turks.  Indeed  this  has  ever  been  the  shame 
and  disgrace  of  our  so-called  Christian  civilization, 
whether  treating  Avith  nations  of  unbelievers  or 
whether  treating  with  conquered  tribes,  while  we 
extract  from  them  to  the  uttermost,  we  never  hesi- 
tate at  any  time  when  it  suits  our  convenience  to 
break  treaties,  break  oaths,  and  disregard  our  word 
of  honor.  The  King  saw,  therefore,  that  if  he  could 
]irevail  upon  I>eopold,  who  was  threatened  by  Mo- 
hammed, to  be  beforehand  with  him,  he  should  have 
time  to  seize  Kamieniec  on  a  sudden,  under  a  promise 
of  uniting  afterwards  his  arms  to  those  of  Leopold, 
lie  thought  further  of  engaging  in  the  league,  the 
Republic  of  Venice  for  a  diversion  by  sea,  and  Rome 
for  a  supply  of  money. 

At  all  events  Ivcopold  and  John  resolved  to  unite 
their  arms  by  a  treaty  both  defensive  and  offensive. 
The  Emperor  engaged  to  furnish  an  array  of  sixty 
thousand  men  to  act  in  Hungary,  and  the  King  of 
Poland,   forty   thousand,   to  be  employed  where  it 


126  THE  LIFE  OF 

should  be  thought  proper.  The  two  Sovereigns  were 
to  march  to  each  other's  assistance  as  occasion  re- 
quired and  whoever  of  the  two  should  happen  to  be 
with  the  army  was  to  be  Commander  in  Chief.  This 
last  article  gave  it  in  effect  to  King  John,  for  Leopold 
was  no  warrior. 

In  the  beginning  of  May,  1683,  intelligence  was 
received  that  the  Ottoman  forces  were  arriving  out 
of  Asia  and  Africa,  in  the  vast  and  fertile  plains  of 
Adrianople,  their  usual  place  of  rendezvous  when 
they  marched  against  the  Christians.  Mohammed 
came  thither  with  his  Court,  in  order  to  be  nearer 
the  scene  of  war  and  to  give  more  life  to  the  expe- 
dition. Lie  might  have  attacked  the  empire  of  Ger- 
many, before  the  peace  of  Nimeguen,  when  Leopold 
was  engaged  with  Louis  XIV,  and  then  the  empire 
must  have  been  destroyed.  The  Porte  has  been  gen- 
erally unfortunate  in  choosing  its  time  to  attack  the 
Christians,  who,  by  tearing  one  another  to  pieces  so 
frequently,  seem  to, present  themselves  to  its  strokes. 
But,  after  all,  if  the  danger  was  less  now  than  before 
the  peace  of  Nimegiien,  it  was  still  sufficiently  great. 

The  General  of  the  Ottoman  forces  was  the  Grand- 
Vizir  Kara-Mustapha,  the  same  who  had  already 
tried  his  fortunes  against  Sobieski  at  Trembowla  and 
Leopol.  He  still  continued  in  favor  with  the  Sul- 
tana Valide ;  and,  having  also  gained  the  high  regard 
of   Mohammed,    had   lately   married   his   daughter. 


KING  JOHN  SOBTESKI  127 

The  Sultan  does  not  give  to  every  Vizier  his  Catis- 
cherif,  that  is  to  say,  a  full  power;  but  the  present 
had  that  honor  conferred  upon  him,  and  porliaps  never 
more  unworthily  so;  a  general  who  had  hardly  ever 
won  a  battle,  who  had  done  nothing  to  merit  any  such 
honor,  he  had  received  this  distinguished  token  of 
regard  from  Mohammed  from  pure  favoritism. 
Never  had  ambition  and  pride,  two  passions  that  de- 
voured him,  a  more  extensive  field  in  which  to  act.  A 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  regular  troops  consisting 
of  janizaries,  Spahis  and  others;  eighteen  thousand 
Wallachians,  Moldavians  and  Transylvanians,  com- 
manded by  their  respective  Princes;  fifteen  thou- 
sand Hungarians,  led  by  Tekeli ;  fifty  thousand  Tar- 
tars, commanded  by  Selim-Gerai,  their  Cham;  and, 
if  we  include  volunteers,  ofiicers  of  the  baggage  and 
provisions,  workmen  of  all  sorts  and  personal  serv- 
ants, the  whole  must  have  amounted  to  more  than 
three  hundred  thousand  men,  thirty-one  Bashaws, 
five  Sovereign  Princes,  with  three  hundred  pieces  of 
cannon ;  and  the  object  of  this  mighty  armament  was 
equally  great,  the  conquest  of  the  western  Empire. 

The  Imperial  troops  were  commanded  by  Charles 
V,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  the  same  who  was  Sobieski's 
competitor  for  the  crown  of  Poland  in  1674.  He 
was  then  young,  but  had  already  given  proofs  of 
having  the  soul  of  a  hero.  The  Duke's  capacity, 
much  more  than  his  rank,  procured  him  the  command 


128  THE  LIFE  OF 

in  chief  which  would  have  frightened  any  man  but 
himself,  for  he  had  only  thirty-seven  thousand  men 
to  oppose  that  torrent  of  Infidels  which  came  to  over- 
whelm the  Empire. 

The  Vizir  advanced  on  the  right  side  of  the  Dan- 
ube, passed  the  Save  and  the  Drave,  forced  the  Duke 
before  him  and  made  a  feint  of  attacking  Eaab  while 
he  detached  fifty  thousand  Tartars  on  the  road  to- 
wards Vienna.  The  Duke,  perceiving  the  stratagem, 
made  a  stolen  march  in  his  turn;  suffered  a  check  at 
Patronel,  and  had  scarce  time  to  reach  Vienna,  where 
he  threw  in  part  of  his  infantry  to  reenf orce  the  gar- 
rison and  took  post  in  the  island  of  Leopoldstadt, 
formed  by  the  Danube  on  the  north  side  of  the  city ; 
while  the  Tartars  arrived  about  the  same  time  on 
the  south. 

Upon  this  occasion  was  seen  one  of  those  spectacles 
which  ought  to  be  a  lesson  to  Sovereigns  and  which 
move  the  compassion  of  their  subjects,  even  when  the 
Sovereigns  have  ill  deserved  their  tenderness;  Leo- 
pold, the  most  powerful  Emperor  since  Charles  V, 
flying  from  his  capital  Avith  the  Empress,  his  mother- 
in-law,  the  Empress,  his  wife,  the  Archduke,  the 
Archduchesses,  and  a  great  part  of  the  inhabitants 
following  the  Court  in  great  disorder. 

The  whole  country  was  filled  with  flying  parties, 
equipages  and  wagons  laden  with  goods  —  the  last 
of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Tartars,  at  the 


KING  J0H:N"  SOBIESKI  129 

very  gates  of  Lintz.  Even  this  oity,  which  the  Im- 
perial family  fled  to  in  their  lirst  flight,  did  not  seem 
a  safe  asylum,  and  they  were  forced  to  take  refuge 
in  Passaw.  They  lay  the  first  night  in  a  wood  where 
the  Empress,  who  was  far  advanced  in  her  preg- 
nancy, found  that  it  was  possible  to  sleep  upon  straw, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  terror.  Among  the  other 
horrors  of  this  night,  they  had  a  view  of  the  flames 
which  already  consumed  Lower  Hungary,  and  ad- 
vanced towards  Austria.  The  Turks  were  to  be 
dreaded  only  as  civilized  warriors,  who  conquer  by 
dint  of  valor;  but  the  Tartars  burned,  murdered, 
and  carried  into  slavery.  They  knew  nothing  of  ten- 
derness, of  love,  of  mercy  or  of  com])assion.  The 
deepest  caves  afi'orded  an  insecure  retreat;  the  trem- 
bling victims  were  discovered  by  dogs  trained  to  hunt 
men ;  and  Tekeli,  the  Chief  of  the  Hungarians,  upon 
this  occasion,  was  a  very  Tartar. 

The  Emperor,  by  only  the  first  excesses  that  at- 
tended this  eruption,  paid  dearly  for  his  acts  of 
violence  in  Hungary,  and  the  blood  of  its  Nobles 
that  he  had  s])ilt.  He  could  not  be  persuaded  that 
Kara-Musta})ha  would  leave  behind  him  such  places 
as  Raab  and  Comora  and  fall  directly  upon  Vienna. 
The  King  of  Poland,  who  knew  better,  as  is  always 
the  case  with  those  who  make  war  in  person,  gave 
him  warning  of  it  but  without  effect. 

Vienna  had  become,  under  ten  successive  Emperors 


130  THE  LIFE  OF 

of  the  House  of  Austria,  the  capital  of  the  Eoman 
Empire  in  the  West.  Solyman,  the  Great,  was  the 
first  Turkish  Emperor  that  marched  against  Vienna 
in  1529,  after  having  been  crowned  King  of  Persia 
at  Bagdad,  making  Europe  and  Asia  tremble  at  the 
same  time.  He  failed  in  his  attempt  not  daring  to 
contend  against  the  fortune  of  Charles  V,  who 
marched  to  its  relief  with  an  army  of  eighty  thou- 
sand men.  Kara-Mustapha,  who  saw  only  a  hand- 
ful to  oppose  him,  flattered  himself  that  he  should  be 
more  fortunate  and  began  the  siege  on  the  seventh 
of  July.  The  Germans  are  undoubtedly  a  brave 
people,  but  they  have  never  appeared  before  the  gates 
of  Constantinople  as  the  Turks  have  before  those 
of  Vienna. 

The  Vizir  pitched  his  camp  in  the  plain  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  Danube  and  filled  its  whole 
extent,  which  is  nine  miles.  This  camp  abounded 
with  everything  that  was  necessary  for  so  vast  a  mul- 
titude, money,  ammunition  and  provisions  of  every 
kind.  The  different  quarters  were  commanded  by 
Bashaws,  who  displayed  the  magnificence  of  Kings; 
but  all  this  magnificence  was  eclipsed  by  the  pomp  of 
the  Vizir,  who  simply  wallowed  in  luxury.  A  Grand 
Vizir's  retinue  usually  consists  of  two  thousand  of- 
ficers and  servants,  but  the  present  had  double  that 
number.  His  park,  that  is  to  say,  the  space  inclosed 
by  his  tents,  near  the  palace  of  the  Favorite,  was 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  131 

as  extensive  as  the  city  he  besieged.  The  luster  of 
the  richest  stuffs  of  gold  and  jewels  seemed  to  con- 
tend with  the  highly  polished  glare  of  arms.  It  was 
furnished  with  baths,  gardens,  fountains  and  even 
curious  animals  for  his  amusement.  He  shut  him- 
self up  with  his  young  Icoglans  oftener  than  with  his 
General  Officers.  The  Iman,  or  Minister  of  religion, 
who  attended  him  in  this  expedition,  threatened  him 
with  the  divine  indignation,  but  the  Vizir  laughed 
at  his  menaces,  and  plunged  himself  deeper  in  de- 
bauchery. 

In  the  meantime  the  luxury  of  the  General  did 
not  ill  the  least  diminish  the  valor  of  the  janizaries, 
nor  was  the  Turkish  artillery  at  all  less  formidable. 

Count  Staremberg,  a  man  of  abilities  and  expe- 
rience, who  was  now  Governor  of  Vienna,  and  had 
formerly  been  so  to  his  Master,  had  set  fire  to  the 
suburbs,  and  by  a  cruel  necessity,  burned  the  sub- 
stance of  the  citizens,  whom  his  object  was  to  pre- 
serve. He  had  a  garrison  under  him  which  was 
computed  at  sixteen  thousand  men,  but  in  fact 
amounted  only  to  eleven  thousand  at  most. 

The  Duke  of  Lorraine,  who  had  taken  post  on  the 
island  of  Leopoldstadt  and  did  his  utmost  to  preserve 
a  communication  from  thoncc  with  the  city,  thought 
himself  obliged  to  retire  from  it,  by  the  bridges  which 
he  had  laid  across  the  Danube  and  now  ordered  to  bo 
broken  down.     Never  was  there  a  general  in  a  more 


132  THE  LIFE  OF 

desperate  situation.  For,  after  he  had  thrown  part 
of  his  infantry  into  Vienna,  Raab  and  Comora,  he 
had  not  thirty  thousand  men  left  to  keep  the  field. 

The  Turks  did  not  get  possession  of  the  counter- 
scrap  till  the  seventh  of  August,  after  repeated  en- 
gagements for  twenty-three  days  together,  with  great 
loss  of  blood  on  both  sides.  Their  mines,  their 
continual  attacks,  the  decrease  of  the  garrison,  the 
waste  of  provisions,  all  contributed  to  give  the  utmost 
uneasiness;  and  to  so  many  real  evils  more  imag- 
inary ones  were  added. 

The  Duke  of  Lorraine  wrote  letter  after  letter  to 
the  King  of  Poland  to  hasten  his  march.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  diligence  he  had  used,  his  army  could 
not  be  got  together  till  towards  the  end  of  the  month 
of  August,  1683.  He  sent  away  the  first  bodies  that 
arrived,  and  while  the  main  body  was  getting  ready, 
took  up  his  residence  at  Cracow,  where  he  did  not 
throw  away  his  time.  His  fondness  for  hunting, 
play  and  entertainments,  never  showed  itself,  but 
when  the  Republic  was  at  peace.  He  examined  into 
the  details  that  he  received  of  the  siege ;  studied  the 
situation  of  Vienna  by  a  topographical  map ;  con- 
sidered the  position  of  the  Turks  in  every  view ;  set- 
tled his  order  of  battle  and  regulated  his  marches  in 
order  to  fix  the  decisive  day. 

When  he  arrived  at  Tarnowitz,  the  first  town  of 
Siberia,  he  reviewed  his  army  which  amounted  only 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  133 

to  twenty-five  thousand  men  and,  consequently,  far 
short  of  the  number  stipulated  in  the  treaty.  Before 
the  review  was  over,  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Emperor.  A  copy  of  it  may  serve  to  show  the  power 
of  adversity  upon  haughty  minds,  and  the  return  of 
their  pride  as  soon  as  the  danger  was  past.  "  We 
are  convinced  (says  the  Emperor),  that,  by  reason 
of  the  vast  distance  of  your  army,  it  is  absolutely 
impossible  for  it  to  come  in  time  enough  to  contribute 
to  the  preservation  of  the  place  which  is  in  the  most 
imminent  danger.  It  is  not  therefore  your  troops, 
Sire,  that  we  expect,  but  your  Majesty's  own  pres- 
ence; being  fully  persuaded  that  if  your  Royal  per- 
son will  vouchsafe  to  appear  at  the  head  of  our  forces, 
though  less  numerous  than  those  of  the  enemy,  your 
name  alone,  which  is  so  justly  dreaded  by  them,  will 
make  their  defeat  certain." 

It  must  certainly  have  cost  Leopold  a  great  deal 
to  make  this  condescension.  As  soon  as  he  despaired 
of  seeing  the  Polish  army,  nothing  hindered  him 
from  putting  himself  at  the  head  of  his  owti  troops; 
but  the  past  and  the  present  made  him  feel  the  neces- 
sity of  another  commander  to  whom  he  no  longer 
scrupled  to  attribute  the  qualities  of  a  hero,  or  to 
accede  the  title  of  Majesty,  which  lie  had  before  re- 
fused him.  The  Emperor  concluded  his  letter  with 
a  minute  account  of  all  the  troops  that  he  was  as- 
sembling, and  which  were  to  arrive  forthwith  at  the 


134  KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

bridge  where  they  were  to  pass  the  Danube,  assuring 
the  King  that  the  bridge  was  already  finished.  The 
sequel  will  show  that  the  Emperor  soon  altered  his 
language  in  regard  to  King  John,  and  was  mistaken 
in  his  facts.  His  letter  is  preserved  to  this  day  in 
the  archives  of  Poland. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  critical  situation  of  affairs,  and  the 
confidenco  which  Leopold  reposed  in  the 
Polish  ruler  determined  the  King  to  take 
a  step  which  exposed  his  own  person  to 
danger. 

Leaving  his  army  to  the  care  of  the  Grand-general 
Jablonowski,  he  resolved  to  go  forward  himself,  ac- 
cording to  Leopold's  request,  and  even  to  give  battle 
without  it  if  the  preservation  of  Vienna  required  it. 
In  order  to  get  thither,  he  had  no  route  to  take  but 
across  Silesia,  Moravia,  and  that  part  of  Austria 
which  lies  to  the  north  of  the  Danube;  three  prov- 
inces that  were  infested  by  Hungarians,  Turks  and 
Tartars  w-hom  the  Duke  of  Lorraine,  with  all  his 
splendid  ability  and  courage,  despaired  of  keeping 
within  bounds  any  longer.  The  King,  in  his  march, 
had  only  two  thousand  cavalrymen.  Other  kings, 
oven  in  the  midst  of  an  army,  have  a  second  army 
for  their  guard.  His  equipage  was  no  greater  than 
that  of  the  brave  soldiers  that  marched  with  him. 
Here  was  another  instance  of  the  democratic  spirit 
of  the  great  King  which  endeared  him  so  much  to 
his  soldiers ;  he  did  not  claim  for  himself  more  than 
he  would  concede  to  them.     Nothing  but  a  chaise 

135 


136  THE  LIFE  OF 


attended  him,  whicli  even  Prince  James,  his  own  son, 
made  no  use  of;  they  both  traveled  all  the  way  on 
horseback.  It  is  not  every  king  that  is  formed  to  be 
a  hero;  indeed  very  few  of  them,  but  whoever  is 
animated  with  that  glorious  ambition  must  be  able 
to  endure  fatiguing  marches,  suffer  hardships  and 
expose  himself  to  dangers  like  a  common  soldier, 
whenever  occasion  requires  it.  Napoleon  the  Great, 
of  more  modern  days,  was  a  fair  example  of  this. 
John  III  was  so  far  from  discovering  any  fear  that 
he  himself  recovered  the  whole  country  from  its  con- 
sternation. The  peasants,  who  had  sown  only  that 
they  might  not  reap,  and  regretted  the  fate  of  their 
massacred  friends,  ran  together  from  every  hamlet 
to  see  their  Deliverer,  and  considered  themselves  as 
already  delivered.  His  own  troops  that  he  had  con- 
ducted through  so  many  dangers,  stood  also  in  need 
of  being  encouraged,  and  he  saw  to  it  that  no  oppor- 
tunity was  left  unimproved  to  strengthen  and  en- 
courage them.  One  morning,  when  he  was  a  few 
miles  from  Olmutz,  an  eagle  flew  by  him  on  the  right, 
and,  as  the  Poles  had  retained  some  faith  in  omens, 
he  told  them  a  story  out  of  the  Eoman  history,  and 
the  flight  of  an  eagle  was  considered  as  a  token  of 
victory.  Another  day,  upon  the  weather's  clearing 
up,  after  a  thick  mist,  an  inverted  rainbow  (a  phe- 
nomenon not  common,  but  which  sometimes  hap- 
pens) was  seen  upon  the  surface  of  a  meadow.     The 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  137 

reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  the  symbol  of  the  Turk- 
ish power  was  the  crescent,  and  this  rainbow  formed 
a  crescent,  but  was  upside  do\\-Ti.  The  soldiers  fan- 
cied it  to  be  miraculous,  and  the  King  did  all  he  could 
to  confirm  them  in  this  belief. 

At  lencrth,  the  King  reached  the  banks  of  the 
Danube  which  it  was  impossible  to  pass  by  the  bridges 
of  Vienna,  in  sight  of  the  enemy.  He  therefore 
marched  to  Tuln,  a  small  town  on  the  right  side  of 
the  river,  fifteen  miles  from  Vienna.  Leopold  had 
written  to  John  that  the  bridge  at  Tuln  was  finished, 
whereas,  they  were  now  at  work  upon  it.  The  same 
letter  told  him  that  he  would  find  the  German  troops 
assembled  in  readiness ;  but  he  saw  only  the  Duke  of 
lx)rraine's  little  army  and  two  battalions  that  guarded 
the  head  of  the  bridge.  At  this  sight  he  broke  out 
in  a  passion :  "  Does  the  Emperor  take  me  for  an 
adventurer  ?  I  have  left  my  own  army  because  he 
assured  me  that  his  was  ready.  Is  it  for  myself,  or 
him,  that  I  come  to  fight?  "  The  Duke,  whose  pru- 
dence was  equal  to  his  valor,  quieted  his  indignation. 

The  Polish  army  was  left  at  a  great  distance ;  and 
yet,  to  the  amazement  of  every  one,  it  arrived  be- 
fore the  Germans.  The  quickness  of  its  march  did 
great  honor  to  the  Grand-general  Jablonowski  who 
made  his  appearance  on  the  fifth  of  September. 

The  German  Generals,  leaving  their  troops  be- 
hind, were  come  to  attend  the  King  and  could  not 


138  THE  LIFE  OE 

help  expressing  some  disquiet  at  the  great  day  that 
was  approaching :  "  Consider,"  says  the  King,  con- 
temptuously, "  the  General  you  have  to  deal  with, 
and  not  the  multitude  that  he  commands.  Which  of 
you  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  thousand  men  would 
have  suffered  this  bridge  to  be  built  within  fifteen 
miles  of  his  camp?  This  man  has  no  ability  to 
command.     We  shall  conquer  him  easily." 

The  Polish  army  was,  by  this  time,  passing  the 
bridge.  The  cavalrymen  were  universally  admired 
for  their  horses,  their  dress  and  fine  appearance. 
This  was  probably  one  of  the  most  remarkable  bodies 
of  cavalry  that  ever  appeared  upon  a  field  of  bat- 
tle. Every  man  was  a  nobleman,  that  is,  each  pos- 
sessed a  title  of  nobility;  every  one  of  them  was  a 
knight  and  commanded  by  their  King,  the  most 
knightly  man  of  that  age  or  any  other  age.  The  in- 
fantry, however,  was  not  so  well  clothed,  and  did 
not  make  so  good  an  appearance.  One  battalion 
among  the  rest  being  remarkably  ill-clad,  Prince  Lu- 
bormirski  advised  the  King,  for  the  honor  of  the  na- 
tion, to  let  it  pass  in  the  night.  The  King  was  of 
a  different  opinion,  and  when  the  battalion  was  cross- 
ing the  bridge  he  exclaimed :  "  Look  at  it  well ;  it 
is  an  invincible  body  that  has  taken  an  oath  never 
to  wear  any  clothes  but  what  it  takes  from  the  enemy. 
In  the  last  war  they  were  clad  in  the  Turkish  cos- 
tumes."    If  this  encomium  did  not  furnish  them 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  189 

with  clothes,  it  certainly  armed  them  with  courage. 

The  Poles,  when  they  had  crossed  the  bridge,  ex- 
tended themselves  upon  the  right  and  were  exposed 
for  twenty-four  hours  together  to  be  cut  in  pieces,  if 
Kara-Mustapha  had  known  how  to  make  the  most  of 
his  advantages.  At  length  the  bodies  of  German 
troops  arrived,  one  after  another,  and  the  whole 
Christian  army  was  assembled  by  the  7th  to  the 
amount  of  seventy-four  thousand  men. 

From  the  camp  at  Tuln,  they  heard  the  roar  of  the 
Turkish  batteries.  Vienna  was  reduced  to  the  last 
extremity,  and  many  oflEicers  of  the  first  merit  had 
lost  their  lives.  The  grave  continued  open,  without 
ever  closing  its  mouth.  The  dysentery,  a  disorder 
as  destructive  as  the  sword,  carried  off  sixty  persons 
a  day.  Staremberg  himself  was  attacked  by  it. 
There  were  not  more  than  three  or  four  officers  left 
to  a  battalion ;  most  of  these  were  wounded ;  and 
nearly  all  of  their  chief  officers  were  gone.  The 
soldiers,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  bad  rations,  could 
scarcely  walk  to  the  bridge;  and  those  who  escaped 
the  fire  of  the  enemy  died  of  weakness.  The  citizens, 
who  at  first  ])artook  in  all  the  labors  of  the  siege, 
had  recourse  to  prayer  as  their  only  defense,  and 
ran  in  crowds  to  the  churches  where  the  bombs  and 
balls  carried  terror  with  them. 

The  Duke  of  Lorraine  had  just  received  a  letter 
from  Staremberg  who,  in  the  beginning  of  the  siege, 


140  THE  LIFE  OF 

had  the  firmness  and  even  confidence  to  write,  "  I 
will  not  surrender  the  place,  but  with  the  last  drop 
of  my  blood."  What  a  splendid  contrast  was  the 
spirit  of  this  noble  commander  compared  with  that 
of  the  cowardly,  craven  Emperor  Leopold!  At 
present  he  had  scarce  a  gleam  of  hope  remaining. 
His  letter  contained  only  these  words :  "  No  more 
time  to  lose,  my  Lord,  no  more  time  to  lose." 

The  _stupid-  inaction  of  Kar^-Mustapha  .^cannotJie-. 
accounted  for,  except  that  it  was  a  spirit  of  over-con- 
fi.dence.  It  is  certain  that  if  at  this  time  he  liad 
made  a  general  attack,  Vienna  must  have  fallen. 
But  avarice  extinguished  the  thunder  that  he  held 
in  his  hand.  He  entertained  a  notion  that  the  place 
of  residence  of  the  Emperors  of  Germany  must  con-" 
tain  immense  treasures;  and  he  was  afraid  thatTie 
should  lose  this  imaginary  wealth  by  the  city's  be- 
ing pillaged,  as  it  inevitably  would  be,  if  taken  by 
storm.  He  chose  therefore  to  stay  till  the  place  sur- 
rendered; an  event  which,  he  continued  to  flatter 
himself,  would  occur  at  any  hour.  Xor  did  Lis  pre- 
sumption contribute  less  to  blind  him  than  his  ava- 
rice. He  jested  at  the  weakness  of  the  Christian 
army,  which  he  thought  still  weaker  than  it  was,  and 
could  not  suppose  it  would  have  the  boldness  to  come 
and  attack  him.  His  intelligence  was  so  bad  that  he 
was  still  ignorant  of  King  John's  coming  in  person. 
Of  all  the  Princes  in  the  league,  the  Vizier  dreaded 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  141 

him  the  most,  and  wo  shall  soon  see  that  he  had  just 
cause. 

The  King,  when  he  was  just  going  to  march,  gave 
out  the  order  of  battle  with  his  own  hand ;  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy  of  it,  as  found  among  his  manu- 
scripts: 

"  The  center  is  to  consist  of  the  Imperial  troops 
to  which  we  shall  add  the  regiment  of  cavalry  be- 
longing to  the  Chevalier  Lubormirski,  Marshal  of  the 
Court,  and  four  or  five  squadrons  of  our  horse-guards ; 
in  the  room  of  which  we  expect  to  have  dragoons,  or 
other  German  troops.  This  body  is  to  be  com- 
manded by  the  Duke  of  Lorraine. 

"  The  Polish  army,  commanded  by  the  Grand- 
general,  Jablonowski,  and  the  other  Generals  of  that 
nation,  is  to  make  the  right  wnng. 

'*  The  troops  belonging  to  the  Electors  of  Bavaria 
and  Saxony  arc  to  be  placed  on  tho  left  wing,  to 
which  wc  shall  add  also  some  squadrons  of  our  horse 
guards,  and  other  Polish  cavalry,  instead  of  which 
they  are  to  give  us  dragoons  on  foot. 

"  The  cannon  is  to  be  divided,  and,  in  case  the 
Electors  have  not  enough,  the  Duke  of  Lorraine  is  to 
furnish  them  with  some  of  his.  This  wing  is  to 
consist  entirely  of  the  troops  belonging  to  the  Elec- 
tors. 

"  The  troops  of  the  circles  of  the  Empire  are  to 
extend  along  tho  Danube  with  the  left  wing,  inclin- 


142  THE  LIFE  OE 

ing  a  little  towards  the  right;  and  this,  for  two  rea- 
sons: First,  to  keep  the  enemy  in  alarm,  for  fear 
of  being  charged  in  flank;  and,  secondly,  to  be  in 
readiness  to  throw  the  enemy  into  the  city,  in  case 
we  should  not  make  an  impression  upon  the  enemy 
so  soon  as  we  hope.  This  body  is  to  be  conmianded 
by  the  Prince  of  Waldec. 

"  The  first  line  is  to  consist  wholly  of  foot,  with  ar- 
tillery, and  to  be  followed  closely  by  a  line  of  horse. 
If  these  two  lines  were  to  be  mixed,  they  would  em- 
barrass each  other  in  passing  the  defiles,  woods  and 
mountains;  but,  as  soon  as  we  enter  the  plain,  the 
cavalry  is  to  take  post  in  the  intervals  between  the 
battalions,  which  shall  be  left  for  that  purpose.  This 
order  is  to  be  observed  particularly  by  our  own  horse 
guards,  which  shall  charge  first. 

"  If  we  draw  up  all  our  troops  in  three  lines  only, 
we  shall  take  up  more  than  a  German  league  and  a 
half,  which  would  not  be  for  our  advantage;  and, 
besides,  we  must,  in  this  case,  pass  the  little  river  of 
Vien,  which  ought  to  be  left  on  our  right.  We  must 
therefore  make  four  lines ;  and  the  fourth  will  serve 
for  a  body  of  reserve. 

"  For  the  greater  security  of  the  infantry  against 
the  first  attack  of  the  Turkish  horse,  which  is  always 
very  warm,  great  use  might  be  made  of  spancherais- 
tres  or  chevaux-de-f rize ;  but  they  must  be  very  light 
in  order  to  be  carried  conveniently  and,  as  often  as 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  143 

the  battalions  halt,  bo  placed  at  their  head. 

"  I  make  it  my  earnest  request  to  all  the  Generals, 
that,  as  fast  as  the  army  comes  down  the  last  moun- 
tain to  enter  upon  the  plain,  they  will  each  take  their 
posts  according  to  the  directions  given  in  this  present 
order." 

They  had  only  a  march  of  fifteen  miles  to  get  at 
the  Turks  who  were  separated  from  them  by  nothing 
but  a  chain  of  mountains.  Across  these  there  lay 
two  roads,  one  over  the  highest  part  of  the  ridge ;  the 
other  in  a  place  where  the  hills  were  lower  and  the 
passage  more  easy.  The  Council  of  War,  being  as- 
sembled, was  for  taking  the  latter;  but  the  King 
determined  upon  the  former  which  was  much  shorter; 
nor  did  any  of  the  Princes  murmur,  because  he  con- 
vinced them  that  the  fate  of  Vienna  depended  upon 
a  single  moment,  and  that  there  are  cases  when  ex- 
pedition ought  to  be  preferred  to  caution. 

On  the  9th  of  September  the  whole  army  was  in 
motion.  The  Germans,  after  several  attempts  to 
draw  up  their  cannon,  despaired  of  success  and  left 
them  in  the  plain.  The  Poles  were  more  persever- 
ing, for  Konski,  Palatine  of  Kiovia,  commander  of 
the  artillery,  succeeded  in  getting  over  twenty-eight 
pieces  and  none  but  these  were  used  on  the  day  of 
battle. 

This  march,  which  was  encumbered  with  all  sorts 
of  difficulties,   continued  for  three  days.     Two  of 


144  THE  LIFE  OF 

them  passed  without  the  King's  being  seen  by  his 
Polish  army,  which  began  to  demand  where  he  was 
with  the  utmost  anxiety.  It  appeared  that  the  King 
had  been  among  the  troops  of  the  Empire,  endeavor- 
ing to  encourage  them  to  battle. 

The  army  at  length  drew  near  to  the  last  mountain, 
called  Kalemberg.  From  the  top  of  this  hill,  the 
Christians  were  presented,  about  an  hour  before 
night,  with  one  of  the  finest  and  most  dreadful  pros- 
pects of  the  greatness  of  human  power  —  an  immense 
plain,  and  all  the  islands  of  the  Danube,  covered  with 
pavilions  whose  magnificence  seemed  rather  calcu- 
lated for  an  encampment  of  pleasure  than  to  endure 
hardships  of  war  —  an  innumerable  multitude  of 
horses,  camels,  and  buffaloes ;  two  hundred  thousand 
men,  all  in  motion;  swarms  of  Tartars  dispersed 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  in  their  usual  con- 
fusion; the  fire  of  the  besiegers  incessant  and  ter- 
rible, and  that  of  the  besieged  such  as  they  could  pos- 
sibly make ;  in  fine,  a  great  city,  distinguishable  only 
by  the  tops  of  the  steeples,  and  the  fire  and  smoke 
that  covered  it. 

The  besieged  were  immediately  apprised,  by  sig- 
nals, of  the  approach  of  the  army  to  their  relief. 
To  have  an  idea  of  the  joy  that  the  city  felt,  a  per- 
son must  have  suffered  all  the  extremities  of  a  long 
siege,  and  be  destined  with  his  wife  and  children  to 
the  sword  of  a  merciless  conqueror,  or  to  slavery  in 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI    ,  145 

a  foreign  country.  But  this  gleam  of  joy  was  soon 
succeeded  by  fear.  Kara-]Mustapha,  with  such  an 
army,  had  still  reasons  to  expect  success  though  he 
did  not  deserve  it.  The  King,  who  was  examining 
the  disposition  of  his  forces,  said  to  the  German 
Generals :  "  This  man  is  badly  encamped ;  ho 
knows  nothing  of  war ;  we  shall  certainly  beat  him." 
It  would  seem  that  the  quick,  experienced  eyes  of 
Sobieski,  with  that  wonderful  intuition  of  a  great 
commander,  could  quickly  take  in  and  notice  all  the 
faults  of  an  antagonist.  It  is  well  known  that  ^lar- 
shal  Villars,  then  ingloriously  employed  in  the 
Cevennes,  foretold  the  defeat  of  Tallard  from  the  bad 
disposition  of  his  troops  at  the  battle  of  Ilochstet, 
and  every  General  who  cannot  prophesy  in  the  same 
manner  ought  to  give  up  his  command. 

The  cannon  on  both  sides  was  the  prelude  to  the 
inqoortant  scene  of  the  following  day,  which  was  the 
12th  of  September,  a  day  that  was  to  decide  whether 
Vienna  under  Mohammed  IV  should  have  the  fate  of 
Constantinople  under  jMohammcd  TI,  and  whether 
the  Empire  of  the  West  should  be  reunited  to  the  Em- 
l)ire  of  the  East ;  perhaps  also  whether  Europe  should 
continue  a  Christian  continent. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  FEW  hours  before  the  break  of  day  the 
King,  the  Duke  of  Lorraine  and  several 
of  the  Generals  joined  in  an  act  of  reli- 
gion which  was  very  much  practiced  in 
those  days,  not  so  much  in  ours.  They  asked  the 
protection  of  the  Son  of  God,  while  the  Turks  were 
invoking  the  one  God  of  Abraham  by  repeated  cries 
of  Allah!  Allah! 

This  cry  redoubled  about  sunrising,  when  the 
Christian  army  descended  from  the  mountain  with 
a  slow  and  even  pace,  keeping  its  ranks  together, 
preceded  by  its  cannon,  and  halting  every  few  steps, 
to  fire  and  load  again.  The  front  grew  wider  and 
deeper  in  proportion  as  the  space  enlarged.  The 
plain  was  a  vast  amphitheater  where  the  Turks,  in 
the  utmost  agitation,  beheld  the  motions  of  their  ene- 
mies. It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Cham  of  the  Tar- 
tars bade  the  Vizier  observe  the  lances  adorned  with 
streamers  belonging  to  the  Polish  horse  guards  and 
said  to  him,  "  The  King  is  at  their  head,"  words 
which  filled  him  with  dismay.  However  superior  his 
own  army  was  in  point  of  numbers,  he  now  knew  that 
he  must  meet  and  must  combat  a  leader  who  had 

never  failed  of  victory. 

146 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  147 

The  Vizier  ordered  the  Tartars  to  put  all  their 
prisoners,  to  the  number  of  thirty  thousand,  to  death. 
These  prisoners  had  been  gathered  together,  in  the 
march  to  Vienna,  from  towns  and  villages  enroute. 
They  were  composed  of  all  classes,  rich  and  poor, 
bond  and  free,  male  and  female,  and  of  all  ages. 
Instantly  he  then  ordered  his  troops  to  march  towards 
the  mountain,  and  at  the  same  time  ordered  a  general 
assault  to  be  made  upon  the  place.  This  last  order 
sliould  have  been  given  sooner,  for  the  Christians 
had  now  recovered  courage,  while  the  Janizaries, 
provoked  at  their  General,  had  lost  it. 

In  the  meantime  the  Christians  were  coming  down 
and  the  Turks  ascended  to  meet  them,  so  that  the  ac- 
tion was  soon  begun.  The  first  line  of  the  Christian 
army,  consisting  wholly  of  foot,  charged  with  such 
impetuosity  that  it  made  room  for  the  line  of  cavalry 
which  took  post  in  the  interval  between  the  battalions. 
The  King,  the  Princes  and  the  Generals  advancing  to 
the  front,  fought  sometimes  with  the  horse  and  some- 
times with  the  foot.  The  two  other  lines  followed 
close  upon  the  foremost.  Konski,  whose  skill  in  mili- 
tary art  was  equal  to  his  intrepidity  in  action,  had 
the  care  of  the  artillery  which  was  loaded  with  cart- 
ridge-shot, and  fired  at  a  very  small  distance. 

The  scene  of  this  first  engagement,  in  the  gi'ound 
between  the  plain  and  the  mountain,  was  broken  by 
vineyards,  rising  grounds,  and  little  valleys.     The 


14:8  THE  LIFE  OF 

enemy,  having  left  their  cannon  at  the  entrance  of 
the  vineyards,  suffered  much  from  those  of  the  Chris- 
tians. The  combatants,  being  dispersed  about  on  the 
unequal  ground,  disputed  it  with  great  fury  till  to- 
wards noon  when  the  Count  de  Maligni,  brother  to 
the  Queen  of  Poland,  got  possession  of  a  rising 
ground  which  took  the  Turks  in  flank,  who,  being 
driven  from  hill  to  hill,  retired  towards  the  plain 
and  drew  up  along  the  border  of  their  camp. 

The  Christian  army,  the  left  wing  in  particular, 
transported  at  this  success  and  crying  out  victory, 
must  needs  push  their  advantages  without  intermis- 
sion. Their  ardor  was  unquestionably  noble  but 
the  King  thought  it  dangerous.  The  German  cav- 
alry, being  heavily  mounted,  would  soon  have  been 
out  of  wind  in  the  distance  between  them  and  the 
enemy.  A  still  stronger  reason  was  that  all  the  dif- 
ferent bodies  having  been  engaged,  sometimes  upon 
rising  grounds  and  sometimes  in  valleys,  had  in- 
evitably fallen  into  some  confusion  and  disturbed 
the  order  of  battle. 

Some  time  therefore  was  taken  to  repair  the  dis- 
order, and  the  plain  became  the  scene  of  a  triumph 
which  posterity  will  always  have  a  difficulty  to  be- 
lieve. Seventy  thousand  men  marched  to  attack  two 
hundred  thousand,  and  the  reader  must  keep  in  mind 
that  the  Turks  and  Tartars  were  well  instructed  and 
drilled  in  the  art  of  war,  and  in  accouterments  and 


KING  JOnX  SOBTESKI  149 

in  all  preparations  of  a  soldier  they  could  not  be 
excelled,  and  that  they  possessed  qualities  that  made 
them  regarded  as  being  the  best  soldiers  of  the 
world.  This  will  give  the  reader  some  sort  of  a 
conception  of  the  daring  of  seventy  thousand  men  in 
attacking  this  mighty  host.  In  the  Turkish  army, 
the  Bashaw  of  Diarbekir  commanded  the  right  wing, 
the  Bashaw  of  Buda  the  left,  and  the  Vizier  was  in 
the  center,  having  with  him  the  Aga  of  the  Jani- 
zaries and  the  General  of  the  Spahis. 

The  two  armies  continued  motionless  for  some 
time,  apparently  like  gladiators  in  the  arena,  each 
one  waiting  for  the  other  to  strike  the  first  blow ;  the 
Christians  in  silence;  the  Turks  and  Tartars  with 
their  deafening  cries  accompanied  by  the  sound  of 
clarions.  In  this  awful  moment  a  red  pavilion  was 
erected  in  the  midst  of  the  Infidels  and  close  to  it 
the  great  standard  of  Mohammed,  a  sacred  object  to 
the  professors  of  the  Mussulman  faith,  like  the  La- 
banim  of  the  Roman  Emperors,  or  the  Oriflamme  of 
the  ancient  Kings  of  France.  But  this  imposture, 
which  sometimes  inspires  them  with  as  much  courage 
as  Truth  can  give  the  Christians,  did  not  do  its 
office  on  this  great  occasion,  for  the  Vizier  had  de- 
prived it  of  all  its  virtue. 

As  soon  as  the  King  had  given  orders  for  the 
charge,  the  Polish  cavalry,  saber  in  hand,  pushed 
vigorously  on  to  the  Vizier,  whose  post  was  made 


150  THE  LIFE  OF 

manifest  by  the  standard.  The  first  ranks  were  in- 
stantly forced  and  the  Poles  penetrated  even  to  the 
numerous  squadrons  that  surrounded  the  Vizier. 
The  Spahis  disputed  the  victory,  but  all  the  rest,  Wal- 
achians,  Moldavians,  Transylvanians,  Tartars  and 
even  Janizaries  themselves,  showed  no  alacrity,  a 
fatal  effect  of  an  army's  hating  and  despising  its 
General.  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  all  the  world's 
history  we  have  a  single  instance  where  an  army  that 
has  not  the  most  complete  and  thorough  confidence 
in  its  General  has  ever  been  victorious,  and  never 
where  they  distrusted  or  despised  their  leader.  The 
Vizier  attempted  to  recover  their  good  opinion  by 
showing  courage  and  good  behavior,  but  he  had  lost 
his  opportunity.  He  addressed  himself  next  to  the 
Bashaw  of  Buda  and  the  other  generals,  who  an- 
swered him  only  with  a  silence  of  despair :  "  And 
thou,"  said  he  to  the  Tartar  Prince,  "  dost  thou  too 
refuse  to  help  me  ?  "  The  Cham  saw  no  safety  but 
in  flight.  The  Spahis  were  now  reduced  to  their  last 
efforts.  The  Polish  horse  had  broken  and  scattered 
them,  and  the  great  green  standard  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire  disappeared,  the  Vizier  turned  his  back,  and 
his  flight  made  the  consternation  universal.  It  was 
soon  communicated  from  the  center  to  the  wings, 
which  were  hard  pressed  by  all  the  divisions  of  the 
Christian  army  at  the  same  time;  the  left  by  Jab- 
lonowski,  the  right  by  the  Electors,  while  the  Duke 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  151 

of  Lorraine  fell  upon  the  center  and  the  King  ani- 
mated the  whole  by  his  actions  and  his  orders.  That 
immense  multitude  which,  under  an  able  leader, 
ought  to  have  surrounded  and  overwhelmed  its  ene- 
mies in  so  extensive  a  plain,  was  deprived  by  terror 
of  all  strength  and  presence  of  mind.  Had  night 
been  farther  off  it  would  have  been  a  total  defeat ;  as 
things  were  it  was  only  a  precipitate  retreat. 

The  King  advanced  next  towards  the  Janizaries, 
who  were  left  to  continue  the  siege,  but  they  had  all 
disappeared  and  Vienna  was  completely  delivered. 
The  victorious  troops  would  fain  have  entered  the 
enemy's  camp,  allured  by  the  immense  riches  that 
the  Turks  had  left,  but  the  temptation  was  a  dan- 
gerous one  at  this  juncture.  The  enemy,  favored 
by  the  darkness  of  the  night,  might  return  and  cut 
in  pieces  an  army  which  would  bo  too  much  employed 
in  pillage  to  make  any  defense.  An  order  was  there- 
fore issued  to  continue  all  night  under  arms  upon 
pain  of  death. 


CHAPTEK  XVI 

ABOUT  six  in  the  morning  the  enemy's 
camp  was  opened  to  the  soldiers,  whose 
desire  for  plunder  was  at  first  paralyzed, 
as  it  were,  by  a  most  shocking  spectacle. 
In  several  parts  of  the  camp  mothers  were  butchered, 
some  of  whom  had  their  children  still  hanging  at 
their  breasts.  These  women  were  of  good  repute, 
not  like  a  certain  class  that  sometimes  follows  the 
army  and  are  always  a  pest  to  the  army  and  the 
morals  of  the  soldiers.  They  were  virtuous  wives 
whom  their  husbands  chose  rather  to  kill  than  to  dis- 
pose to  the  lusts  of  the  Christians.  The  children 
escaped  this  slaughter,  and  five  or  six  hundred  of 
them  were  preserved,  whom  the  Bishop  of  ISTewstadt 
took  care  of  and  educated  in  the  religion  of  the  con- 
querors. It  seems  to  have  been  a  practice  for  the 
Mohammedans  to  take  their  families  with  them  upon 
these  campaigns.  It  seems  so  strange  as  we  view 
it  from  our  standpoint,  that  they  should  have  in 
this  way  exposed  their  loved  ones  to  all  the  horrors 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  war. 

jSTever  did  an  army  get  possession  of  more  abun- 
dant spoil ;  for  the  Turks,  who  are  economists  in  time 
of   peace,    display  great  magnificence   in   the  field. 

152 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  153 

The  hero  of  the  day  had  his  share  upon  the  present 
occasion.  He  wrote  to  the  Queen  that  the  Grand 
Vizier  had  made  him  his  heir,  and  that  he  had  found 
in  his  tent  the  value  of  several  millions  of  ducats. 
'*  You  will  have  no  room,"  added  he,  "  to  say  of  me 
what  the  women  of  Tartary  say,  when  their  hus- 
bands return  empty-handed:  'You  are  no  men  be- 
cause you  come  back  without  plunder.'  " 

Among  the  many  things  which  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  soldiers  there  were  two  which  attracted  the 
notice  of  all  but  excited  the  covctousness  of  none. 
One  was  a  large  standard  which,  in  the  hurry  of  joy, 
was  taken  for  that  of  Mohammed.  I'ut  this  was  cer- 
tainly a  mistake,  for  the  singular  precautions  that 
the  Turks  used  had  always  prevented  this  calamity. 
The  standard  is  enclosed  in  an  ark  of  gold  with  the 
Alcoran  and  the  robe  of  the  Prophet.  This  ark  is 
carried  by  a  camel  which  goes  Iwforo  the  Sultan  or 
Vizier;  and,  when  the  standard  is  displayed  in  bat- 
tle, an  officer  of  the  race  of  Mohammed,  called  the 
Naikbul-Eschret,  was  appointed  to  watch  the  event 
of  the  combat ;  and,  when  the  victory  inclines  ever  so 
little  to  the  side  of  the  enemy,  the  guard  at  once  dis- 
appears with  all  haste  from  the  field  of  battle  with 
the  sacred  deposirum.  The  Vizier,  upon  the  present 
occasion,  accompanied  this  Officer  in  his  flight.  But 
the  Christians,  who  were  fond  of  being  mistaken  in 
this  fact,  have  persisted  in  declaring  that  they  pos- 


154  THE  LIFE  OF 

sess  the  famous  standard;  and  the  historians,  one 
after  another,  not  excepting  the  celebrated  author  of 
the  Annals  of  the  Empire,  have  adopted  their  mis- 
take. The  other  sacred  implement  that  made  part 
of  the  booty  was  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  found  in  the 
Vizier's  tent,  with  this  inscription  in  Latin: 

Per  hanc  imaginem  victor  eris,  Johannes. 
Per  hanc  imaginem  victor  ero  Johannes. 

The  first  line,  "  John,  by  this  image  thou  shalt 
conquer,"  comes  from  the  Virgin ;  to  which  John 
answers,  "  By  this  image,  I,  John,  will  conquer." 
It  was  evidently  an  imitation  of  the  sign  which  Con- 
stantino claims  to  have  seen  in  the  air  when  he  was 
marching  to  give  battle  to  Maxentius. 

The  image  gave  occasion  for  much  speculation. 
Some  thought  it  very  remarkable  that  the  Vizier 
should  have  in  his  tent  a  presage  of  his  approaching 
ruin  wh;ch  ought  rather  to  have  been  in  King  John's 
possession.  Others  insisted  that  no  miraculous  facts 
should  be  admitted  without  an  application  of  the  test 
of  severe  criticism.  The  image,  however,  was  placed 
in  a  magnificent  chapel,  built  by  the  Queen  of  Po- 
land and  the  supposed  standard  of  Mohammed  was 
sent  to  the  Pope  as  an  act  of  homage  to  the  Lord  of 
Hosts.  All  the  cannon  remained  to  the  Emperor  and 
the  Empire  also.     The  Turks  lost  a  great  many  colors 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  155 

and  it  is  well  kno^vIl  that  colors  are  never  sur- 
rendered but  with  great  effusion  of  blood ;  and  in- 
deed, if  we  take  only  a  transitory  view  of  two  armies 
disputing  at  first  against  each  other,  foot  to  foot,  for 
six  hours,  a  spot  of  ground  full  of  eminences  and 
vineyards,  and  afterwards  coming  to  a  general  ac- 
tion, this  will  be  sufficient  to  show  that  it  could  not 
be  done  without  considerable  loss ;  but  this  loss  will, 
after  all,  be  thought  small  and  was  so  in  effect  for 
so  great  a  victory. 

The  next  day  after  the  victory  was  a  day  of  glory. 
Staremberg,  the  brave  commander  of  the  city,  who 
had  80  resolutely  and  so  gallantly  and  with  so  small 
a  force  of  men,  resisted  the  mighty  hosts  of  the  Turks 
for  two  whole  months,  had  come  to  pay  his  respects  to 
the  deliverer  of  Vienna,  for  here  King  John  thought 
ho  might  show  triumph  without  offending  the  Em- 
peror, and  entered  the  city  over  its  ruins  amidst  the 
acclamations  of  the  people.  His  horse  could  scarce 
get  through  the  multitudes  that  fell  prostrate  before 
him,  coming  to  kiss  his  feet  and  calling  him  their 
father,  their  savior,  the  noblest  of  all  Princes. 
Vienna  in  this  moment  of  joy  forgot  that  it  had  a 
jealous  master;  and  that  master  was  their  cowardly 
craven  Emperor. 

Leopold,  who  expected  to  have  a  triumph  in  his 
capital,  though  he  had  not  been  present  at  the  battle, 
advanced  by  the  Danube,  scarce  venturing  to  cast 


156  THE  LIFE  OF 

his  eye  upon  the  smoking  ruins  of  so  many  hamlets, 
villages,  gardens  and  country-seats.  As  he  drew  near 
the  city  he  heard  the  firing  of  cannon,  not  intended 
for  him.  He  was  wounded  to  the  very  heart  with 
this  thought,  and  turning  to  the  Count  de  Sintzen- 
dors,  said  to  him:  "  The  weakness  of  the  counsels 
that  you  have  had  a  share  in  occasions  me  this  dis- 
grace." These  words,  uttered  with  that  imperious 
tone  which  always  crushes  a  courtier,  affected  the 
Minister  so  much,  it  is  said,  that  he  died  the  next 
day.  A  minister  who  should  die  of  grief  at  having 
advised  a  measure  productive  of  misery  to  the  peo- 
ple, would  deserve  tears. 

The  Emperor  suspended  his  march,  that  he  might 
not  be  a  spectator  of  King  John's  triumph.  A  dif- 
ficulty of  ceremony  contributed  to  stop  him ;  the  ques- 
tion was,  whether  an  elective  King  had  ever  been 
present  with  an  Emperor,  and  in  what  manner  he 
had  been  received  ?  The  Duke  of  Lorraine,  who  lis- 
tened only  to  the  voice  of  gratitude,  answered,  "  With 
open  arms,  if  he  has  preserved  the  Empire."  The 
Emperor  was  attentive  only  to  his  Imperial  dignity, 
and  gave  King  John  to  understand  that  he  would  not 
give  him  his  hand,  which  was  the  reception  the  King 
of  Poland  expected  of  a  Sovereign  Prince.  After 
much  negotiation,  the  matter  was  settled  by  arrang- 
ing to  have  the  two  sovereigns  meet  on  horse-back 
upon  the  open  plain. 


KING  JOHN  SOBTESKI  157 

When  the  moment  of  the  interview  arrived,  the 
King  of  Poland,  in  a  Polish  bonnet  and  plume  of 
feathers  terminated  by  a  large  pearl  hanging  loose, 
clad  in  the  same  armor  that  he  wore  on  the  day  of  the 
battle,  with  a  Roman  Buckler,  on  which  were  en- 
graved, "  Not  the  actions  of  his  ancestors,  but  his 
own,"  and  mounted  upon  a  stately  horse  with  mag- 
nificent e(pii])[)ing.s,  ai)proached  the  Emperor  Avith 
that  heroic  presence  which  nature  had  given  him,  and 
that  air  which  his  victory  gave  him  a  right  to  put  on. 
The  Emperor  talked  of  nothing  but  the  services  done 
the  Poles  in  all  ages  by  the  friendship  and  protec- 
tion of  the  Emperors.  At  last,  however,  he  let  drop 
the  word  gratitude  for  the  deliverance  of  Vienna. 
At  this  word  the  King,  turning  his  horse,  said  to  him : 
"  Brother,  I  am  glad  that  I  have  done  you  that  small 
service."  lie  was  going  to  put  an  end  to  the  dis- 
course, which  grew  disagreeable,  but  he  obsen'cd  his 
son.  Prince  James,  alight  from  his  horse  to  pay  his 
respects  to  the  Emperor :  "  This  is  a  Prince,"  said 
he,  "  whom  I  am  educating  for  the  service  of  Chris- 
tendom." The  Emperor,  without  saying  a  word, 
only  nodded  his  head ;  and  yet  this  was  the  young 
Prince  whom  he  had  promised  to  make  his  son-in-law. 
Such  a  picture  can  only  be  truly  outlined  before  our 
later  and  broader  visions,  as  free  dwellers  in  the  free 
country  of  our  adoption  and  the  true  outlines  of  such 
a  scene  serve  to  make  the  Polish  King,  regal  democrat 


158  THE  LIFE  OF 

as  he  was,  a  kingly  sight  indeed. 

The  King's  dissatisfaction  with  the  Emperor  would 
naturally  have  induced  him  to  return  to  his  own 
dominions,  after  having  saved  the  Empire.  This 
was  what  the  Republic  intended,  and  the  Queen  de- 
sired ;  and  this  is  what  he  should  have  done.  But  he 
flattered  himself  that  Leopold,  notwithstanding  his 
strange  behavior,  would  still  perform  his  promises. 
The  double  hope  of  a  match  between  an  Archduchess 
and  his  son,  and  of  the  crown  of  Poland's  being  made 
hereditary  in  his  family,  which  hope  he  had,  no 
doubt,  deservedly  nurtured,  supported  him  against 
the  Imperial  pride. 

Kara-Mustapha,  after  his  defeat,  retired  to  Buda 
where  he  expected  his  fate.  His  being  the  son-in- 
law  of  Mohammed,  was  of  great  use  to  him,  but  the 
Sultana  Valide  of  still  greater.  The  Sultans  have 
a  particular  respect  for  their  mothers,  even  beyond 
what  nature  prescribes.  As  Mohammed  was  full  of 
this  filial  respect  for  his  mother,  she  suborned  wit- 
nesses who  were  glad  to  gain  preferment  by  compli- 
ances that  are  often  common  enough  in  courts.  The 
disaster  at  Vienna  was  imputed  to  persons  far  less 
criminal  than  the  Vizier.  The  Bashaw  of  Buda  was 
strangled  and  lamented  by  the  whole  Ottoman  Em- 
pire. It  is  true  he  had,  on  the  present  occasion, 
given  up  the  Vizier  to  the  arms  of  the  Christians  but 
such  a  defection  scarce  ever  happens  but  to  a  despised 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  159 

or  detested  general.  The  fault,  however,  was  inex- 
cusable and  he  paid  for  it  with  his  head.  Three 
other  Bashaws  fell  with  him.  The  Cham  of  the 
Tartars  was  deposed,  a  punishment  which  he  could 
not  have  deserved  under  another  Vizier. 

The  same  courier  who  was  charged  with  these  cruel 
orders  brought  the  real  criminal  distinguished  marks 
of  his  continuing  still  in  favor;  but  it  was  upon  con- 
dition of  his  repairing  this  misfortune.  For,  van- 
quished as  he  was,  he  still  had  an  army  far  superior 
to  that  of  the  conquerors;  and  the  lists  were  again 
opened. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  King  of  Poland  began  his  march  on 
the  17th  of  September,  to  complete  the  de- 
struction of  his  enemy,  for  he  thought  that 
nothing  was  done  while  anything  still  re- 
mained to  do.  He  was  followed  by  the  German 
army,  but  not  so  numerous  as  it  was  at  the  battle 
before  Vienna. 

A  body  of  some  six  or  seven  thousand  Turks,  all 
cavalry,  had  passed  the  Danube  at  Strigonia,  in  order 
to  guard  the  head  of  the  bridge  belonging  to  that 
town.  It  was  commanded  by  a  young  man  who  was 
the  Bashaw,  named  Kara-Mehemed,  born  for  war, 
full  of  fire,  ambition,  and  courage,  and  who  was  re- 
solved to  deserve  his  fortune. 

The  Polish  troops  always  encamped  before  the  rest 
of  the  army.  The  King  flattered  himself  with  the 
hopes  of  crushing  this  handful  of  Turks  and  taking 
the  fort  of  Barcan  at  Strigonia;  but,  not  choosing 
that  the  Germans  should  share  in  this  victory,  he 
concealed  from  them  his  march.  The  7th  of  Octo- 
ber was  a  day  of  blood.  The  Turks  being  covered 
with  a  rideau,  the  Polish  vanguard  did  not  think 
them  so  near  and  was  attacked  before  it  could  draw 
up  in  order  of  battle.     Disorder  and  confusion  in- 

160 


KING  JOHTn"  SOBIESKI  161 

stantly  seized  the  Poles;  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but 
flying  parties  and  heads  falling  by  the  saber.  This 
seems  to  bo  but  a  reaction  of  what  has  often  been 
known  in  the  history  of  warfare.  The  bravest  troops 
in  the  world,  the  best  handled  and  the  best  led,  will 
sometimes,  when  surprised,  become  panic  stricken 
and  become  unmanageable  and  flee  like  cravens.  An 
instance  of  this,  later  in  the  world's  history,  was  the 
flight  of  Napoleon's  old  guard  from  the  field  of 
Waterloo. 

In  the  midst  of  this  disorder,  the  King  came  up 
with  the  main  body  of  horse,  but  his  presence  did 
not  stop  the  ])anic  stricken  trooj)S.  The  young 
Bashaw  redoubled  his  activity,  and  the  King  had 
scarce  time  to  form  his  line.  He  received  the  Turks 
with  firmness  and  even  charged  them  in  turn.  But 
the  Turks  opening  their  ranks  to  inclose  the  whole 
Polish  line,  and  being  stimulated  with  that  rage 
which  distinguished  the  Mohammedans  under  the  first 
CailifFs,  drove  back  the  left  wing,  forced  the  right 
and  penetrated  the  center.  The  Towarisz  were  no 
longer  that  intrepid  band  which,  about  a  century  be- 
fore, had  said  to  their  King:  "What  hast  thou  to 
fear  with  twenty  thousand  lances  ?  If  the  sky  should 
fall  we  would  keep  it  up  with  their  points." 

In  this  universal  disorder,  when  every  moment 
added  the  dying  to  the  dead  and  it  became  equally  as 
dangerous  to  retreat  as  to  resist,  the  Grand-General 


162  THE  LIFE  OF 

Jablonowski  besought  the  King  to  escape  with  his 
son  who  fought  by  his  side,  and  this  was  effected 
with  the  greatest  difficulty. 

When  this  battle  was  over,  the  calm  that  succeeded 
presented  a  deplorable  scene.  The  Polish  Nobles, 
who  had  escaped  the  slaughter,  with  downcast  eyes 
and  dejected  countenance,  surrounded  their  master 
in  mournful  silence.  The  German  Generals  also 
had  an  air  of  sadness ;  but  the  King  knew  what  was 
in  their  hearts.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  with  that 
candor  which  is  never  found  but  in  great  minds,  "  I 
confess  I  wanted  to  conquer  without  you,  for  the 
honor  of  my  own  nation :  I  have  suffered  severely  for 
it,  being  soundly  beaten,  but  I  will  take  my  revenge 
with  you,  and  for  you.  To  effect  this  must  be  the 
chief  employment  of  our  thoughts."  This  eloquence 
of  the  heart  is  perhaps  superior  to  all  the  speeches 
in  the  world. 

The  young  Bashaw,  proud  of  the  advantage  he  had 
gained  over  so  great  a  king,  with  an  inferior  force, 
was  thinking,  on  his  side,  of  gathering  fresh  laurels. 
He  dispatched  couriers  the  same  night  to  Buda,  with 
an  account  of  his  victory.  The  Grand-Vizier,  with- 
out losing  a  moment,  sent  a  body  of  twenty  thousand 
cavalry,  which  arrived  next  day  by  the  bridge  of 
Strigonia,  the  distance  being  no  more  than  eighteen 
miles. 

The   King   of   Poland,    who   had    recovered    his 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  163 

stren^h  by  a  night's  rest,  employed  the  whole  follow- 
ing day,  which  was  the  8th,  in  collecting  his  scattered 
army,  and  counseling  it  for  the  misfortune  of  yes- 
terday, in  animating  it  to  vengeance,  in  combining 
it  with  the  Imperial  troops,  and  in  regulating  the 
order  of  battle  for  the  morrow. 

The  letter  he  wrote  to  the  Queen,  dated  this  day, 
informing  her  frankly  of  his  terrible  disaster,  was 
enough  to  freeze  her  blood.  He  told  her  that  he  was 
advancing  towards  the  enemy  and  that  she  must 
expect  the  enemy  to  be  defeated  or  bid  him  farewell 
forever. 

Tekeli,  who  was  ordered  by  the  Vizier  to  advance 
with  thirty  thousand  men,  had  not  arrived  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th  when  the  engagement  began. 
Any  one  but  the  young  Bashaw  would  have  avoided 
an  action,  or  at  least  would  not  have  fought  it.  It 
will  scarce  be  believed  that  twenty-six  thousand 
Turks,  all  cavalry,  and  without  cannon,  could  ven- 
ture a  battle  against  fifty  thousand  Christians,  pro- 
vided with  all  the  advantages  of  infantry,  cavalry 
and  artillery.  The  two  Bashaws  of  Silistria  and 
Caramania,  commanded  the  wings.  The  General, 
elated  with  his  late  victory  and  promising  himself  an- 
other, was  in  the  center. 

The  Christian  army  outstretched  that  of  the  Turks, 
by  a  full  half  of  its  front,  and  was  putting  itself  in 
motion  to  begin  the  charge,  when  the  Turks,  who 


164  THE  LIFE  OF 

were  quicker,  fell  upon  them  with  an  impetuosity, 
attended  wath  howlings,  which  it  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe. A  torrent  that  tumbles  from  the  top  of  a 
mountain's  brow  is  neither  more  noisy  nor  more 
rapid.  The  Christians  received  them  with  such  firm- 
ness that  not  a  man  lost  his  post  and  with  such  a  ter- 
rible fire  that  brought  men  and  horses  to  the  ground. 
The  Turks  wheeled  round  to  recover  a  little,  and  in- 
stantly returned  with  greater  fury.  It  was  owing 
to  the  chevaux  de  frize,  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
battalions  of  the  Christian  army,  that  they  were  not 
broken.  The  Turks  were  often  on  the  point  of  suc- 
ceeding and  as  often  repulsed.  Never  did  squadrons 
perform  their  evolutions  with  greater  dexterity  and 
quickness  nor  was  the  excellence  of  the  Turkish 
horses  ever  more  fully  displayed. 

The  Bashaws  that  commanded  the  wings,  both  cov- 
ered mth  blood,  were  made  prisoners,  but  the  General 
still  did  everything  that  could  be  expected  from  the 
most  determined  courage.  He  forced  his  way  into 
the  center  but  being  wounded  at  length  in  two  places 
with  a  saber,  and  perceiving  that  the  strength  of  his 
troops  was  exhausted  he  thought  of  making  his  re- 
treat. 

The  King  of  Poland,  who  observed  his  first  dis- 
position towards  it,  did  not  allow  him  time  to  execute 
his  intention  but  advanced  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry 
to  take  him  in  flank  and  cut  off  his  retreat.     The 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  165 

first  squadrons  were  already  seen  retiring  over  the 
bridge.  The  Christian  army  now  gave  a  great  shout 
in  its  turn  and,  quickening  its  march,  extended  itself 
in  the  form  of  a  crescent  and  came  up  with  the 
enemy. 

The  whole  was  nothing  now  but  a  scene  of  slaugh- 
ter to  the  Turks,  whose  sole  object  was  to  fly.  Some 
got  to  the  bridge,  but  the  cannon  swept  it  from  end 
to  end ;  and,  being  built  of  boats,  it  was  soon  over- 
loaded and  sunk  under  the  weight.  Others  ran  to- 
wards the  fort  but  the  fort  could  hold  no  more  and 
drove  them  back.  Many  threw  themselves  into  the 
Danube  which  was  covered  with  men  and  horses,  but 
the  shot  reached  them  even  here,  and  the  river  swal- 
lowed them  up.  A  body  of  eighteen  thousand,  who 
would  not  attempt  this  dangerous  way,  stayed  upon 
the  side  of  the  river  in  much  greater  danger.  The 
Janazaries  in  the  fort  were  spectators  of  this  slaugh- 
ter and  expected  this  to  be  their  fate.  They  made 
all  possible  signals  of  surrender ;  hung  out  a  white 
flag,  and  for  fear  it  should  not  be  taken  notice  of, 
tore  off  the  sleeves  of  their  shirts  and  fastened  them 
to  the  ends  of  their  weapons.  But  this  day  was  not 
a  day  of  mercy.  Their  sentence  of  death  was  writ- 
ten upon  their  palisadoes,  whereupon  the  Polish  sol- 
diers saw  the  bleeding  heads  of  their  brethren.  The 
rage  that  seized  them  at  this  sight  cost  them  fresh 
tears  which  they  might  easily  have  prevented.     The 


166  THE  LIFE  OF 

Janazaries,  upon  the  point  of  being  forced  when  they 
offered  to  surrender,  made  a  discharge  which  did 
great  execution.  It  was  an  act  of  mere  despair  in 
the  last  moment  they  had  to  live.  Of  the  twenty- 
six  thousand  Turks  that  were  in  this  engagement, 
only  two  thousand  escaped  before  the  breaking  down 
of  the  bridge.  The  young  Bashaw  who  would  have 
deserved  a  second  victory,  if  valor  was  a  sufficient 
title  to  it,  was  one  of  the  number. 

Every  circumstance  of  this  engagement,  the  blood- 
iest of  that  age,  was  astonishing.  A  young  war- 
rior, who  had  never  been  in  any  command,  ventur- 
ing to  combat  with  veteran  generals  and  defying  the 
hero  of  the  age;  twenty-six  thousand  Mohammedans 
fighting  a  pitched  battle  against  fifty  thousand  Chris- 
tians who  were  upon  the  point  of  being  defeated; 
these  same  Mohammedans,  more  than  men  in  the 
beginning  of  the  action,  and  less  than  women  in  the 
end;  Christians  imbruing  their  hands  after  the  vic- 
tory in  the  blood  of  eighteen  thousand  men  who 
begged  for  mercy;  a  truth  which  I  would  willingly 
suppress  if  my  respect  for  the  fidelity  of  history 
would  permit  it.  The  extraordinary  courage  which 
Mohammed  manifested  in  the  beginning  of  this  bat- 
tle and  in  the  battle  of  the  day  before,  all  proceeded 
from  one  man ;  the  young  Bashaw  of  Buda  who  was 
youthful,  ambitious  and  filled  with  enthusiasm;  he 
electrified  his  army.     This  was  entirely  the  reverse 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  1G7 

of  former  contests  and  he  almost  snatched  victory 
from  the  jaws  of  defeat.  It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of 
history. 

The  taking  of  Strigonia  put  an  end  to  the  cam- 
paign and  the  armies  separated.  The  Poles,  before 
they  could  reach  their  native  land,  had  a  march  of 
liundreds  of  miles.  Christiana,  then  at  Rome,  v^rote 
to  the  Conqueror  that  he  had  "  made  her  feel,  for  the 
first  time,  the  passion  of  envy,  for  she  really  grudged 
him  the  glorious  title  of  deliverer  of  Christendom." 
This  was  the  ex-Queen  Christiana  of  Sweden,  the 
daughter  of  the  great  Gustavus  Adolphus,  one  of  the 
greatest  soldiers  of  his  day  and  the  champion  of 
Protestant  Europe;  but  his  erratic  daughter  who 
succeeded  him  finally,  after  many  misadventures,  re- 
signed her  cro\\Ti  and  entered  the  Catholic  church 
and  went  to  live  and  die  at  Rome. 

The  scene  ended  tragically  on  the  side  of  the 
Turks.  The  deposition  of  the  Cham  of  Tartary,  and 
the  sacrifice  of  four  Bashaws  immediately  after  the 
affair  at  Vienna,  was  not  sufficient  to  appease  the 
murmurs  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  Tekeli  was  sent 
to  Constantinople,  bound  hand  and  foot.  Kara- 
Mustapha  was  strangled  and  his  head  carried  to  Con- 
stantinople, a  fitting  end  to  the  General  who  had  no 
sense  of  shame;  a  brute  by  nature,  and  possessed  of 
very  few  qualities  of  manhood,  who  owed  his  eleva- 
tion to  favoritism  alone. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII 

THE  King  passed  the  winter  of  1684  at 
Cracow  where  he  received  the  congratula- 
tions of  Europe.  But  In  the  opinion  of 
the  Republic,  he  had  done  nothing  if  he 
did  not  retake  Kamieniec.  Having,  accordingly,  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  army,  he  advanced  to- 
wards Jaslowiecz,  a  town  which  was  the  second  in 
Podolia,  before  the  Turks  had  made  themselves  mas- 
ters of  that  fine  province.  They  had  set  fire  to  the 
town  and  left  nothing  standing  but  the  castle,  a  forti- 
fication of  immense  bulk,  composed  of  eight  large 
towers,  and  situated  upon  a  rock  which  is  made  a 
peninsula  by  the  River  Janows.  The  Poles  soon 
carried  this  fort  which  had  a  garrison  of  five  hundred 
and  thirty  Janizaries  and  thirteen  pieces  of  cannon. 
The  King  continued  his  march  along  the  IS^iester, 
with  the  design  of  throwing  a  bridge  over  that  river 
and  entering  Moldavia,  in  order  to  hinder  the  Turks 
from  having  any  conomunication  with  Kamieniec. 
The  whole  plan  was  disconcerted  by  the  great  dili- 
gence of  the  enemy.  The  Poles  had  scarce  begun 
work  upon  their  bridge  before  twenty  thousand  Turks 
and  a  greater  number  of  Tartars  appeared  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.     It  was  not  possible  to  throw 

168 


KING  JOIIX  SOBTESKI  169 

a  bridge  over  the  river  in  their  presence  but  the  Tar- 
tars did  not  want  one  to  get  at  the  Poles.  They 
surrounded  the  Polish  army  and  harassed  it  on  all 
sides  without  ever  coming  to  action,  being  equally 
quick  in  running  away  as  coming  on,  and  always 
ready  to  repass  the  river  if  they  found  themselves 
forced  to  it. 

In  the  meantime,  Kamieniec,  the  object  of  this 
campaign,  was  secured  from  all  attempts,  and  the 
Polish  army  suffered  much  in  a  country  that  was  en- 
tirely deserted.  To  lay  siege,  in  proper  form,  to  a 
place  of  such  strength,  where  there  was  a  garrison  of 
ten  thousand  men  and  in  the  presence  of  a  superior 
army,  was  a  thing  impossible.  The  King  resolved 
therefore,  if  nothing  more  could  be  done,  to  erect  a 
citadel  against  Kamieniec,  in  order  to  pave  the  way 
for  its  fall  at  a  more  favorable  time.  lie  chose  for 
this  purpose,  at  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  a 
rock  that  stood  by  itself  upon  the  bank  of  the  same 
river  that  runs  by  Kamieniec  and  not  far  from  the 
Niester.  The  fort  was  completed  in  six  w^eeks;  a 
garrison  was  put  into  it  and  annoyed  the  town 
greatly,  during  the  whole  time  that  it  continued  in 
possession  of  the  enemy ;  for  no  supplies  could  be  re- 
ceived but  at  the  hazard  of  a  battle  or  struggle. 

The  King,  not  pleased  with  his  expedition,  formed 
a  plan  for  letting  Poland  enjoy  at  least  a  taste  of 
the  sweets  of  peace  in  the  midst  of  war,  the  end  of 


ITO  THE  LIFE  OF 

whicli  could  not  be  foreseen.  Instead  of  going  to  en- 
joy the  amusements  of  the  capital  he  took  up  his 
residence  upon  the  frontiers  and  while  he  restrained 
the  Tartars,  who  are  always  ready  for  invasions,  the 
Nobles  enjoyed  their  fortunes,  the  merchants  car- 
ried on  their  trade,  the  lands  were  cultivated  and 
the  peasants  got  bread. 

At  the  opening  af- the- -next-campaign,  in  1685,  the 
King  proposed  in  Council  to  resume  the  project  of 
the  preceding  year,  which  was  to  enter  Moldavia, 
in  order  to  force  the  Hospodar  to  declare  in  favor 
of  Poland  and  make  use  of  his  assistance  to  take 
jKamieniec.  The  recovery  of  this  bulwark  would 
have  made  the  nation  forget  all  the  miseries  of  so 
long  a  war.  The  army  was  already  assembling,  but 
a  disorder  detained  the  King.  The  Grand-General 
Jabolonowski  readily  undertook  the  charge  of  all 
that  might  happen. 

While  the  army  was  upon  its  march,  the  King  re- 
ceived a  piece  of  intelligence  that  struck  him  with 
amazement.  The  Archduchess  whom  Leopold  had 
promised  to  Prince  James  was  married  to  the  Elec- 
tor of  Bavaria ;  and  the  King  guessed  from  that  what 
he  was  to  expect  from  the  other  promise  which  re- 
lated to  the  securing  of  the  crown  of  Poland  in  his 
family,  by  the  intrigues,  the  money  and  the  power  of 
the  court  of  Vienna.  Being  naturally  warm  and 
impetuous,  he  had  great  difficulty  to  restrain  his  re- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  171 

sentmont  till  the  end  of  the  campaign  and  then  take 
his  measures  as  events  would  liaj)pen. 

The  army  had  already  got  through  two-thirds  of 
the  Bucovine,  a  forest  ninety  miles  long  and  as  many 
broad,  when  the  enemy  appeared.  The  two  armies 
drew  up  in  order  of  battle  with  a  defile  between  them. 
The  march  was  by  no  means  equal,  for  forty  thou- 
sand Turks  and  as  many  Tartars  were  detached  to 
seize  the  passes  behind  the  Polish  army  and  cut  off 
their  retreat.  The  Tartars  were  already  seen  in 
places  that  they  never  before  approached ;  the  in- 
habitants of  the  country  took  refuge  in  the  towns 
and  the  towns  expected  to  be  forced.  The  alann  in- 
creased like  a  torrent  till  it  reached  Zolkiew,  a  place 
not  far  from  the  frontiers  where  the  King  resided  for 
the  recovery  of  his  health.  Though  he  was  still  in 
a  weak  condition,  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
Nobility  of  the  neighboring  provinces  and  some 
Lithuanian  troops  which,  coming  from  a  great  dis- 
tance, could  not  join  the  army  in  time.  But  the 
catastrophe  was  over  before  the  King  came.  Jab- 
lonowski,  after  he  had  been  fifteen  days  in  this  dis- 
mal situation,  formed  a  plan  for  a  retreat  which 
seemed  impracticable.  Behind  him  there  was  a 
wood  of  alders  which  grew  in  a  morass  deep  enough 
to  swallow  up  men  and  horses.  He  ordered  his  men 
to  take  hatchets  and  cut  down  the  trees  close  by  each 
other,  with  the  branches  uppermost.     By  this  meana 


172  THE  LIFE  OE 

he  formed  two  bridges  wide  enough  for  five  wagons 
to  pass  in  front. 

The  baggage  began  to  file  off,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  night,  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  of  October. 
The  cavalry  followed  next  and  by  break  of  day  there 
remained  only  fifteen  squadrons.  The  infantry  and 
dragoons,  with  part  of  the  cannon,  came  in  the  rear, 
and  were  commanded  by  Konski,  General  of  the  ar- 
tillery, a  man  whom  it  was  impossible  to  surprise 
and  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  an  illustrious 
manner  at  the  battle  of  Vienna. 

The  Turks  at  length  poured  out  of  the  great  wood 
that  was  in  front  of  the  Polish  army.  The  cavalry 
began  the  attack  and  charged  with  its  usual  impetu- 
osity, but  was  so  roughly  handled  that  it  retired  into 
the  wood  again  to  make  room  for  fresh  squadrons. 
The  charge  was  repeated  in  this  manner  ten  or  twelve 
times,  and  the  different  bodies  succeeded  each  other 
so  fast  that  the  Poles  had  scarce  time  to  load  again. 
The  fire-arms  on  both  sides  w^ere  no  longer  depended 
upon;  the  Turkish  saber  and  the  Polish  battle-ax 
were  to  decide  the  point.  On  both  sides  there  was 
an  equal  degree  of  fury  and  true  courage,  but  the 
Poles  fought  with  better  conduct.  A  body  of  be- 
tween eleven  and  twelve  thousand  men  had  been  en- 
gaged for  ten  hours  against  forty  thousand.  All  the 
different  bodies  supported  each  other  like  the  bas- 
tions of  a  movable  fortress.     Never  was  any  man 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  173 

possessed  of  cooler  valor  than  Konski.  The  officers 
and  soldiers  cried  out  to  him  to  take  care  of  himself 
for  the  common  good:  "  I  have  not  yet  received  a 
wound,"  he  answered,  "  and  I  see  some  of  you  fight- 
ing with  several."  Ilis  behavior  in  this  action  gave 
the  nation  so  high  an  opinion  of  him  that,  at  the 
death  of  the  King,  later  on,  he  was  named  among  the 
candidates  for  the  throne  and  would  have  been  elected 
iiad  it  not  been  for  the  fatal  mistake  of  permitting 
foreign  Princes  to  be  named  for  the  Polish  throne, 
to  which  his  virtues  gave  him  a  fair  claim.  He  was, 
however,  contented  with  living  and  dying  first  Sen- 
ator and  the  laurels  which  he  acquired,  on  this  occa- 
sion will  continue  fresh  to  the  end  of  time.  As  the 
night  drew  on,  the  retreat  was  completed,  the  enemy 
appearing  no  more.  The  rear  joined  the  cavalry 
which,  during  the  whole  action,  was  drawn  up  in  bat- 
tle in  a  little  plain  beyond  the  wood  of  alders,  ex- 
pecting all  the  while  to  be  attacked  by  the  Tartars 
who  were  within  view.  After  all,  if  Konski  had  the 
honor  of  executing  this  celebrated  retreat,  Jablonow- 
ski  had  the  glory  of  having  planned  it  when  it  seemed 
impracticable. 

Jablonowski  kept  the  field  for  three  weeks  longer 
at  the  head  of  the  invasion  of  the  Tartars.  The 
Polish  arms  acquired  great  glory  but  no  real  advan- 
tage in  this  campaign.  The  Moldavians  were  not 
sul)ducd ;  Kamienicc  continued  in  the  hands  of  the 


174  THE  LIFE  OF 

Turks,  and  the  whole  design  of  the  armament  mis- 
carried. 

The  King  returned  to  Zolkiew,  where  he  endeav- 
ored to  regain  his  health,  not  by  that  delicate  and 
cautious  way  of  living  which  serves  only  to  prolong 
a  state  of  weakness,  but  by  following  the  diversion  of 
the  chase.  It  has  always  been  said  that  hunting  is 
the  image  of  war.  In  most  parts  of  Europe  this 
image  represents  its  object  of  a  very  small  size;  but 
Poland  increases  its  magnitude  in  imitation  of  the 
Asiatic  sovereigns  who  hunt  with  a  complete  army. 
The  King  kept  in  pay  five  hundred  Janizaries,  all 
real  Turks,  taken  in  battle,  armed  and  dressed  in 
their  former  manner.  A  circular  space  was  marked 
out  for  them  in  a  forest,  which  they  encompassed 
with  nets,  leaving  an  opening  that  answered  to  the 
plain.  At  a  considerable  distance,  a  line  of  dogs 
held  in  leashes  formed  a  crescent;  behind  which  the 
King,  huntsmen  and  the  spectators  were  drawn  up 
in  another  line.  The  signal  being  given,  other  dogs 
were  let  loose  into  the  forest  and  drove  before  them 
whatever  they  found.  In  a  short  time  there  came 
out  stags,  elks,  auroxes  (a  sort  of  wild  bull  of  sin- 
gular beauty,  strength,  and  fierceness),  lynxes,  boars 
and  bears,  and  every  species  of  dogs  attacked  the 
beast  that  was  its  proper  prey.  The  beasts  could 
neither  get  back  to  the  forest  nor  stay  by  the  nets, 
because  the  Janizaries  were  posted  there  to  prevent 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  1Y5 

it.  The  huntsmen  did  not  engage  in  the  combat,  but 
when  the  dogs  were  likely  to  be  overpowered.  This 
mixed  multitude  of  men,  horses,  and  wild  beasts,  the 
noise  of  horns,  the  variety  of  combats,  and  all  this 
apparatus  of  war,  set  out  with  proper  magnificence, 
struck  the  natives  of  the  south,  who  were  present  at 
it,  with  sur])rise;  nor  did  the  Kepublic  murmur  at 
the  expense,  because  it  was  not  defrayed  out  of  the 
public  coffers. 

Hunting,  however,  was  not  the  King's  sole  amuse- 
ment. As  the  Diet  was  not  to  be  assembled  this 
year  (1086),  and  it  was  uncertain  whether  the  war 
would  be  renewed  or  not,  he  had  much  leisure  upon 
his  hands.  The  very  recreations  of  a  laborious  king 
are  a  ])ublic  benefit.  The  pleasure  of  building  hap- 
pening to  strike  his  fancy  he  pitched  upon  a  delight- 
ful situation  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula,  about  six 
miles  from  Warsaw.  A  Villa  now  rose  out  of  the 
ground  and  the  north  was  ornamented  with  the  ar- 
chitecture of  Italy.  But  the  satisfaction  the  King 
enjoyed  in  raising  this  edifice  did  not  make  him  for- 
get his  resentment  against  I>eopold,  and  he  showed  it 
by  declaring  a  resolution  to  quit  the  league.  Leopold 
saw  that  it  was  necessary  to  present  him  with  some 
other  promise  to  keep  him  steady,  and  proposed  to 
him  the  conquest  of  Moldavia  and  Walachia  to  be 
possessed  as  a  sovereignty  by  his  family,  promising 
him  a  body  of  German  troops  which  should  advance 


176  KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI 

from  the  banks  of  the  Danube  to  assist  him  in  the  re- 
duction of  those  provinces. 

This  double  crown  was  a  strong  temptation  to  the 
King.  On  the  other  side,  Mohammed,  who  daily  sus- 
tained fresh  losses,  made  him  an  offer,  if  he  would 
quit  the  league,  to  restore  Kamieniec  with  a  consider- 
able sum  of  money,  to  indemnify  Poland  for  the  ex- 
penses of  so  long  a  war. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

I]!£_^i8  competition  between  the  Republic  and 
bis  own  family  tbe  King  was  not  able  to  decide 
or  did  not  make  the  proper  choice.  He  was 
|)rcvailGd  upon  by  the  Jesuits,  who  controlled 
the  Queen,  and  the  voice  of  paternal  affection,  to 
decide  in  favor  of  his  family  and  leave  to  fortune 
the  interests  of  Poland.  However,  he  disguised  his 
real  design  in  this  expedition  under  the  specious 
pretense  of  conquering  only  for  the  Republic,  and^of 
recovering  Kamioniec  in  a  more  glorious  manner  by 
cutting  off  all  its  succors,  since  it  received  none  from 
any  other  quarter  but  Moldavia. 

It  was  a  long  time  since  Poland  had  seen  so  fine 
and  so  numerous  an  army.  It  amounted  to  nearly 
forty  thousand  fighting  men.  When  it  crossed  the 
Bucovine,  a  place  where  it  was  on  the  point  of  per- 
ishing in  the  preceding  campaign,  they  threw  bridges 
over  all  the  passes  which  could  either  retard  their 
march  or  hinder  their  return.  The  reigning  Prince 
of  Moldavia  was  Constantino  Cantemir.  He  did  not 
stay  to  surrender,  till  the  army  was  at  the  gates  of 
his  capital,  it  was  scarce  got  out  of  the  liucovine 
when  a  nobleman  arrived  from  his  court  who  told 

the  King  that  his  master  thought  himself  happy  in 

177 


178  THE  LIFE  OF 

the  prospect  of  being  soon  delivered  from  the  Otto- 
man yoke,  to  enter  into  the  obedience  of  Poland ;  that 
he  regretted  his  not  being  able  to  come  in  person  to 
wait  upon  so  great  a  king ;  and  that  his  view  in  stay- 
ing for  him  in  his  capital  was  to  hinder  the  people 
from  leaving  it. 

The  King,  charmed  with  a  conquest  which  would 
occasion  the  shedding  of  no  tears,  hastened  his  march 
to  the  plain  of  Cetzora,  where  the  army  halted. 
This  plain  recalled  to  his  mind  the  slaughter  and  the 
glory  of  his  grandfather,  by  presenting  him  with  a 
view  of  the  intrenchments  where  the  famous  Zol- 
kiewski,  with  thirty  thousand  Poles,  repulsed  an 
army  of  a  hundred  thousand  Turks  and  Tartars,  and 
of  the  pyramid,  which  was  still  standing,  where  the 
names  of  that  hero  addressed  the  passenger  in  these 
animating  words :  "  Learn  of  me,  how  sweet  and 
how  honorable  it  is  to  die  for  one's  country,"  a 
maxim  that  was  engraved  upon  the  King's  heart 
from  his  earliest  youth. 

When  the  King  approached  the  town,  he  was  met 
by  the  principal  inhabitants,  but  was  surprised  at  not 
seeing  the  Hospodar.  Cantemir's  situation  was  ex- 
tremely critical.  One  of  his  sons  was  an  hostage  at 
Constantinople,  with  four  nobles  of  the  country  as 
pledges  for  his  fidelity;  and  on  the  other  hand,  a 
Christian  army  was  ready  to  fall  upon  him  without 
his  having  any  hope  from  the  Turkish  forces  which 


KING  JOHN  SOBTESKI  179 

were,  at  this  juncture,  at  too  great  a  distance  to  de- 
fend him.  He  had  recourse,  therefore,  to  a  pre- 
tended submission,  in  order  to  engage  the  conqueror 
to  spare  his  dominions,  and,  to  exculpate  himself 
with  the  Porte,  he  took  refuge  with  his  family  and 
treasures  in  the  Turkish  army  which  was  encamped 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Danube.  His  flight  was  not 
disagreeable  to  the  King  who,  as  he  resolved  to  keep 
his  conquests,  would  have  been  puzzled  how  to  dis- 
pose of  the  Hospodar;  but  he  was  displeased  at  his 
having  carried  over  his  troops  to  the  enemy.  He 
learned,  from  the  Moldavians  themselves,  that  he  was 
the  worst  prince  that  had  for  a  long  time  governed 
that  country ;  that  having  bought  his  crown  at  a  very 
dear  rate,  he  was  a  professed  usurer,  and  behaved  in 
the  most  oppressive  manner  and  that  the  very  mo- 
ment of  his  flight  had  been  distinguished  by  acts  of 
extortion  which  exceeded  the  ordinary  measure  of  his 
rapaciousness. 

While  those  things  were  in  this  situation  in  Mol- 
davia, the  Walachians  were  far  from  being  in  a  state 
of  tranquillity.  Fear,  and  still  more,  the  humanity 
of  the  victor,  which  was  loudly  celebrated  by  fame, 
induced  them  to  submit  and  they  obliged  their  Hos- 
podar to  send  him  a  deputation,  declaring  that  their 
gates  were  open. 

The  King,  being  now  master  of  Moldavia  and 
Walachia,  extended  his  views  still  farther.     Before 


180  THE  LIFE  OF 

him  lay  the  ancient  Bessarabia,  now  called  Budziac, 
and  all  that  vast  country  which  lies  between  the 
Danube  and  the  Niester,  up  to  the  coast  of  the  Black 
Sea.  The  Crimea  itself  tempted  his  ambition;  he 
was  pleased  with  the  idea  of  chastising  the  Tartars 
upon  their  own  ground  and  seemed  to  intend  open- 
ing himself  a  passage  even  to  Constantinople  by  ways 
which  were  deemed  impracticable.  He  therefore 
resumed  his  march  without  quitting  the  Pruth,  the 
water  of  which  was  necessary  for  the  subsistence  of 
the  army  in  so  dry  a  season;  and,  besides  this,  Avas 
very  wholesome  and  mitigated  a  dysentery  that  raged 
among  the  troops. 

When  the  Poles  came  to  Gallacz,  a  town  not  far 
from  the  place  where  the  Pruth  falls  into  the  Dan- 
ube, the  plain  was  covered  with  a  confused  multitude 
of  Tartars,  and,  soon  after,  the  Turks  made  their 
appearance  in  good  order.  The  King  looked  to- 
wards the  Danube,  whence  he  expected  the  succor 
which  the  Emperor  had  promised  him,  but  Leopold, 
attentive  only  to  his  own  interests,  was  pushing  his 
successes  in  Hungary.  The  King,  finding  himself 
deceived,  felt  all  the  danger  to  which  he  had  exposed 
himself.  He  had  been  upon  the  march  full  three 
months  and  must  now  force  his  way  through  fresh 
troops,  superior  to  his  own  by  more  than  half  their 
number.  The  only  resource  left  him  was  to  retreat 
and  this  could  be  done  only  by  weathering  a  storm 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  181 

for  two  months  together  before  he  reached  the  port ; 
and,  if  ho  did  not  gain  any  great  advantage  over  his 
enemies  in  this  campaign,  he  at  least  kept  them  at 
bay  with  inferior  forces. 

A  diet  was  to  be  assembled  in  1687,  but  the  Senate 
put  Tt  off  to  save  expenses  at  a  time  when  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  war  was  so  heavj'  a  burden.  The 
nation,  however,  though  not  assembled  in  form,  mur- 
mured greatly  at  the  projects  of  its  chief.  His  plan 
for  the  ensuing  campaign  was  to  secure  his  conquest 
of  Moldavia  by  carrying  his  victorious  arms  quite  to 
the  Black  Sea.  To  execute  this  design,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  ho  should  continue  steadfast  in  the  league, 
notwithstanding  his  dissatisfaction  with  the  Em- 
peror, to  the  end  that  the  Turks,  being  attacked  on 
all  quarters,  might  be  more  easily  dispossessed  of 
their  territories  on  the  side  of  Poland.  But.  Poland 
began  to  suspect  that  these  great  projects  were  calcu- 
lated for  the  benefit  of  his  own  family  more  than  for 
that  of  the  nation,  and  those  who  had  no  doubt  that 
this  was  his  intention  observed  in  an  angry  strain 
that  it  was  maintaining  a  war  of  which  there  would 
be  no  end ;  and  aiming  at  distant  objects  while  the 
enemy  was  suffered  to  continue  undisturbed  at  the 
gates  of  the  Kingdom  in  a  fortress  which  it  was  a 
disgrace  not  to  retake.  The  King  could  not  help  feel- 
ing that  the  complaints  were  just;  and  the  bombard- 
ment of  Kamieniec  was  resolved  on. 


182  THE  LIFE  OE 

The  army  began  its  march  about  the  end  of  June. 
The  King  attended  the  expedition  in  a  languid  and 
exhausted  state.  It  had  now  been  more  than  thirty 
years  since  he  went  upon  the  field,  and  those  years 
had  been  spent  almost  continuously  in  the  hardships 
and  exposures  and  tumults  of  war,  in  which  he  had 
been  the  principal  and  responsible  actor,  and  his  mag- 
nificent frame  and  splendid  constitution,  which  had 
been  supplemented  by  a  temperate  and  well  regulated 
life,  had  begun  to  give  way  before  the  demands  that 
had  been  made  upon  him.  His  mind  had  lost  noth- 
ing of  its  former  vigor;  it  was  his  body  that  was 
losing  its  strength  and  he  collapsed  entirely  at  Jaslo- 
wiecz  where  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  command 
and  Prince  James  took  possession  of  it  with  all  the 
ensigns  of  power.  The  Prince,  therefore,  taking  the 
thunderbolt  out  of  his  father's  hands,  advanced  to- 
wards Kamieniec,  where  he  arrived  on  the  10th  of 
July.  The  bombardment  lasted  six  days,  with  a  most 
terrifying  noise.  The  besiegers  played  upon  the 
town  with  fifty  pieces  of  cannon  and  sixteen  mortars 
and  the  besieged  returned  their  fire  from  three  hun- 
dred. The  Poles  soon  discovered  that  their  powder 
was  being  consumed  to  little  purpose,  and  therefore 
slackened  their  fire  when  they  saw  the  Tartars  pass 
the  Niester  and  advance  towards  them.  However, 
nothing  decisive  happened  between  the  two  armies, 
which  only  cannonaded  each  other  across  the  river 


KIXG  JOHN"  SOBIESKI  183 

with  little  loss.  The  campaign  ended  with  no  other 
exploit  than  the  min  of  a  few  houses  in  Kamieniee 
and  the  death  of  three  or  four  hundred  Tartars  who 
fell  into  an  ambuscade;  inconsiderable  effects  to  be 
produced  by  so  great  a  cause. 


CHAPTEE  XX 

THE  efforts  of  the  league  were  attended 
with  success  in  other  places;  but  the 
King,  when  he  was  informed  of  the  horrid 
tragedy  that  the  Austrians  had  enacted  in 
Hungary,  repented  that  he  had  not  set  that  crown 
upon  the  head  of  his  son,  when  the  Hungarians,  won 
by  his  virtues,  solicited  him  to  do  it  after  the  battle 
of  Vienna.  He  observed  too  that  his  health  was 
decaying  and  hoped  at  least  to  transmit  to  him  that 
which  he  wore  himself  and  resolved  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  approaching  Diet  to  make  the  Poles  con- 
cur in  his  design,  but  this  Diet  afforded  only  a  scene 
of  distraction. 

At  the  same  time,  however  (1688),  a  scene  of  more 
joyful  sort  was  preparing  for  the  King  at  Wilna,  the 
capital  of  Lithuania,  a  city  which,  having  never  seen 
its  sovereign,  was  impatient  to  pay  him  its  homage. 
The  people  took  no  part  in  quarrels  of  state;  they 
were  attentive  only  to  the  glory  and  the  benevolent 
disposition  of  their  sovereign  and  left  it  to  the 
Grandees  to  criticise  his  faults.  He  was  received 
upon  the  road,  and  in  that  great  city  with  those  ac- 
clamations and  signs  of  joy  which  are  never  extorted 
from  a  free  people  against  their  will. 

184 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  185 

From  Wilna  he  repaired  to  Warsaw,  where  the 
Queen  was  impatient  to  see  him,  as  much  for  the 
pleasure  of  shariufj;  with  him  in  the  government,  as 
for  the  love  she  bore  him.  She  prevailed  upon  him 
to  submit  to  a  course  of  medicine  before  he  took  up 
arms  and  to  concert  measures  for  marrying  Prince 
James  to  a  widow  Avhose  immense  possessions  were 
covered  all  over  Europe.  This  widow  was  the  heir- 
ess of  the  house  of  Radziwil,  the  same  Prince  James 
would  have  married  once  before  in  the  year  1680, 
and  which  he  lost  by  means  of  the  Elector  of  Bran- 
denburg, who  procured  her  for  his  son.  Prince  Louis. 
The  young  husband  did  not  long  enjoy  his  acquisi- 
tion, and  the  Court  of  Poland  negotiated  at  Berlin  to 
get  possession  of  the  widow,  with  greater  hopes  of 
success  than  ever.  The  treaty  was  already  far  ad- 
vanced and  the  Polish  envoy  sent  word  that  Prince 
James'  presence  was  necessary  to  insure  success. 
The  Prince  flew  to  Berlin,  entered  the  town  in- 
cognito, and  had  a  conference  with  the  French  min- 
ister, who  was  ordered  by  his  master  to  promote  the 
match  with  a  view  to  taking  off  King  John  from  the 
interests  of  the  House  of  Austria.  He  had  a  private 
interview  with  the  young  widow  and  got  from  her  a 
formal  promise  to  marry  him  in  eight  months  (by 
which  time  the  conventional  period  of  mourning 
would  be  out),  upon  pain  of  forfeiting  her  entire 
fortune.     The    marriage-presents    were    given    and 


186  THE  LIFE  OF 

received  on  each  side  and  the  Prince  set  out  for  War- 
saw, perfectly  satisfied  with  his  success.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  match  he  would  be  in  possession  of 
four  duchies  in  the  heart  of  Poland,  acquire  great 
personal  weight  and  be  a  considerable  step  nearer  to 
the  throne. 

The  news  of  the  Prince's  success  was  received  with 
great  joy  by  the  Court  of  Warsaw,  and  particularly 
by  the  King,  who  loved  his  son  tenderly  and  stood 
in  great  need  of  laying  his  heart  open  to  the  impres- 
sions of  joy.  But  it  was  only  a  transitory  gleam, 
which  was  soon  to  be  followed  by  grief.  While 
Prince  James  was  returning  home  with  his  promise, 
a  more  fortunate  rival  actually  married  the  lady  at 
Berlin.  The  husband  was  Prince  Charles  of  ISTew- 
burg,  third  son  to  the  Elector  Palatine,  and  brother 
to  the  Empress.  The  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  to 
whom  Leopold  held  out  the  alluring  object  of  a  regal 
crown,  favored  this  act  of  treachery,  if  the  ill  offices, 
which  the  maxims  of  politics  have  sanctified,  if  the 
morality  of  sovereigns  can  be  called  by  that  name. 
It  was  still  the  Emperor  Leopold  who  thwarted  all 
the  views  of  his  ally,  the  King  of  Poland,  who  had 
saved  him  from  destruction. 

This  mortifying  blow  was  received  by  the  Court  of 
Poland  with  all  the  transports  of  grief  and  revenge. 
If  John  had  been  master  of  a  force  equal  to  that  of 
Leopold  or  Louis  XIV,  he  would  not  have  been  af- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  187 

fronted  with  impunity  in  the  person  of  his  son.  As 
things  were,  he  submitted  to  the  only  expedient  he 
had  left,  and  acted  as  his  weakness,  and  indeed  wis- 
dom itself,  required.  lie  consulted  the  Polish  law- 
yers concerning  the  promise  given  by  the  faithless 
princess,  and  the  penalty  to  which  she  had  subjected 
herself.  They  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  King  had 
a  right  to  confiscate  all  her  estates,  but  such  a  sen- 
tence could  bo  pronounced  only  by  the  tribunal  of 
the  nation  assembled  in  a  general  diet,  and  the  na- 
tion was,  at  this  juncture,  wholly  intent  upon  war. 
The  negotiation  of  Berlin,  and  the  weak  state  of  the 
King's  health,  put  oif,  till  the  month  of  August,  the 
opening  of  the  campaign,  which  was  attended  with  no 
success. 

The  King  could  not  quit  his  designs  upon  the  two 
c^o^^^ls  of  Moldavia  and  Walachia,  which  he  hoped 
to  leave  to  his  family,  if  that  of  Poland  should  pass 
into  other  hands.  The  report  that  he  was  so  much 
taken  up  with  this  great  object  as  to  forget  Kamieniec 
gained  credence,  and  therefore  he  gave  affront  to  the 
whole  nation,  and  helped  create  dissatisfaction  with 
his  administration. 

The  year  1G87  began  and  ended  in  sorrow,  but  the 
King  had  a  larger  share  of  it  than  his  subjects.  A 
Diet  in  which  all  his  views  proved  abortive;  the  mis- 
carriage of  his  attempts  upon  Kamieniec;  a  drouth 
that  desolated  the  kingdom ;  the  jealousies  of  oppo- 


188  THE  LIFE  OF 

site  factions;  the  dissensions  that  reigned  among  all 
the  orders  of  the  state;  all  these  circumstances  filled 
his  mind  with  melancholy. 

He  was  also  accused  of  aiming  at  absolute  power. 
There  was  not  much  to  sustain  such  a  suspicion, 
though  doubtless  there  were  great  temptations  to  do 
so.  The  great  king  had  come  to  realize  the  utter 
hopelessness  of  maintaining  the  power  of  Poland  and 
contiinuing  her  a  great  power,  with  her  absurd  coa:: 
stitution.  There  are  only  two  forms  of  government 
that  have  any  right  to  exist,  and  one  is  an  absolute 
monarchy,  where  all  is  invested  in  the  hands  of  a 
sovereign,  and  the  other  is  a  pure  democracy.  The 
latter  is  always  preferable,  but  such  form  of  govern- 
ment as  Poland  possessed  was  the  most  unfortunate 
of  all :  A  republic  where  the  great  mass  of  the  peo- 
ple had  no  voice;  where  the  governor  was  in  power 
with  the  nobility;  with  the  ambitions  and  the  in- 
trigues of  the  nobility,  there  was  nothing  in  it  but 
weakness.  The  King,  no  doubt,  saw  this  and  I  be- 
lieve had  tried  to  remedy  this  evil  rather  than  to 
obtain  a  permanent  crown  for  his  family.  Some 
indications  of  a  desire  for  absolute  power  undoubt- 
edly manifested  themselves  to  the  over-suspicious ; 
but,  if  he  was  seriously  bent  upon  it,  is  it  credible 
that  he  would  have  called  together  the  Diet  so  often  ? 
He  could  not  be  ignorant  that  when  a  nation  is  assem- 
bled it  is  always  superior  to  its  chief,  but  he  pre- 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  189 

ferred  the  interests  of  the  Republic  much  more  than 
his  own  authority  and  this  was  manifest  from  the 
fact  that  no  other  sovereign  consulted  the  nation  so 
often  by  calling  together  its  Diet  as  he  did. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  approach  of  the  winter  of  1691  gave 
time  to  the  princes  of  the  Christian  league 
to  foiTQ  new  plans  and  recover  their 
strength.  The  King  of  Poland  was  still 
hesitating  between  Leopold  and  Louis  XIV.  His 
reputation  in  Europe  was  the  greatest  of  all  the 
European  sovereigns,  but  his  power  was  much  less 
and,  therefore,  he  endeavored  to  keep  terms  with 
them  both.  His  inclinations  were  for  France,  but 
his  interest  again  determined  him  to  side  with  the 
House  of  Austria.  Erance  indeed  did  not  fail  to 
make  him  tempting  offers,  but  the  House  of  Austria, 
by  being  so  near  his  dominions,  was  in  a  condition 
to  fulfill  the  promises  it  gave  whenever  it  was  dis- 
posed to  keep  its  word,  but  there  remained  the  an- 
noying fact  that  it  never  kept  its  word  with  the 
King,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  all  this,  by  some  fatality 
which  is  not  understood,  the  King  of  Poland  was  still 
disposed  toward  Leopold.  The  King,  at  this  very 
juncture,  had  a  family  concern  to  settle  with  that 
court.  He  wanted  to  marry  his  son,  Prince  James ; 
and  there  was  no  fit  match  for  him  in  Poland,  since 
that  kingdom  had  lost  its  richest  heiress.  France, 
indeed,  might  have  offered  a  princess  of  the  blood, 

190 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  191 

but  it  was  resolved  to  have  the  daughter  of  a  sover- 
eign; and  Leopold  proposed  a  daughter  of  the 
Elector  of  Palatine.  She  was  sister  to  that  very 
Charles  of  Newburg,  of  whom  Prince  James  had  so 
much  cause  to  complain.  By  this  marriage  the 
house  of  Sobieski  became  allied  to  all  the  crowns  of 
Europe,  and  Prince  James  was  brother-in-law  to  the 
Emperor.  This  was  the  first  instance  of  the  Em- 
peror's having  dealt  sincerely  with  the  King  of 
Poland,  and  even  in  this  he  consulted  rather  his  own 
ends  than  those  of  his  ally  whom  he  fixed  more  firmly 
than  ever  in  his  interest  by  this  new  connection. 

The  Emperor  being  thus  appeased  and  the  French 
faction  humbled,  the  marriage  rejoicings  were  re- 
sumed with  great  splendor,  when  all  was  again  dis- 
turbed by  the  disagreement  that  rose  in  the  royal 
family.  The  Queen  of  Poland,  who  still  ruled  in 
her  husband's  heart,  had  a  mind  to  make  the  Princess 
of  Poland  sensible  of  her  power;  the  latter  was  not 
so  tractable  as  the  former  expected ;  Prince  James, 
let  it  be  said  to  his  credit  and  honor,  in  this  unfortu- 
nate family  dissension  in  the  most  chivalrous  manner 
took  sides  with  his  young  wife. 

His  brother,  Prince  Alexander,  was  now  no  longer 
a  child,  and  began  to  fix  his  eyes  upon  the  splendors 
of  the  throne.  The  charms  that  accompany  the  first 
bloom  of  youth,  an  open  countenance,  an  agreeable 
figure,  a  graceful  air,  and  gentle  manners,  had  gained 


192  THE  LIFE  OF 

for  him  the  heart  of  his  mother;  and  his  obedience 
to  her,  in  all  of  her  whims  and  desires,  probably  had 
more  to  do  with  this  than  anything  else.  Even  the 
nation  was  already  prepossessed  in  his  favor ;  and  it 
is  the  nation  that  makes  the  king.  It  was  a  saying 
current  in  the  kingdom,  that  the  youngest  was  the 
son  of  the  King,  and  the  eldest  the  son  of  the  Grand- 
Marshal.  Besides,  as  the  letter  "J"  had  been 
found  in  the  collection  of  the  Polish  prophecies  to 
point  out  King  John :  the  letter  "  A  "  was  now  dis- 
covered to  begin  the  name  of  his  successor. 

Prince  Alexander  was,  therefore,  considered  as  a 
rival  by  Prince  James,  whose  jealousy  rose  to  a 
higher  pitch  than  ever  when  the  King  left  Warsaw 
on  the  13th  of  June,  1691,  and  took  with  him  this 
favorite  son  to  present  him  to  the  army  and  form  him 
for  military  glory,  and  yet  the  elder  son  could  not 
complain  of  being  slighted  by  his  august  father. 
The  King  had  invited  him  to  accompany  him  with 
the  Princess  of  Poland,  till  the  expedition  was  ended. 
But  Prince  James,  who  was  dissatisfied  with  every- 
thing in  his  present  fit  of  ill  humor,  answered  that 
he  would  not  expose  his  wife  to  the  harsh  treatment 
of  the  Queen  and  that  as  to  himself,  having  no  set- 
tled revenue,  he  could  not  bear  the  expense  of  the 
campaign.  He  thought  proper  to  conceal  the  true 
reason  and  the  King,  who  might  have  laid  his  com- 
mands upon  him,  left  him  to  his  own  inclinations 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI  193 

and  departed  without  him. 

The  next  day  the  Prince  was  still  more  uneasy, 
and,  having-  advised  the  Austrian  ambassador,  gave 
notice  to  the  Grand-Chancellor  that  he  would  leave 
the  kingdom  if  Prince  Alexander  continued  his  jour- 
ney;  nor  will  Poland,  added  he,  disapprove  of  my 
retiring  when  J  shall  inform  the  ])ublic,  in  a  mani- 
festo, that  the  King  intends  the  throne  for  the 
younger  son,  in  prejudice  of  his  elder.  It  is  possible 
that  the  Queen  had  formed  this  project  at  this  time. 
The  whole  life  of  the  Queen,  since  she  became  the 
wife  of  the  King,  had  been  one  of  constant  intrigue, 
su])plementcd  always  by  the  Jesuit  priest  who  was 
constantly  in  court  to  do  her  bidding.  But  the  King 
certainly  never  thought  of  it,  and  had  he  been  at  all 
prejudiced  in  favor  of  his  younger  sons  at  an  age 
when  the  dispositions  of  the  mind  do  not  yet  unfold 
themselves,  it  is  ])robal)le  he  would  have  leaned  to- 
ward Prince  Constantino,  the  youngest,  who  was  his 
very  i)icture.  Put  Prince  James'  passion  would  suf- 
fer him  to  attend  to  nothing. 

The  King  ordered  him  to  be  told  that  he  might  set 
out  with  a  father's  curse  attending  him  whenever  he 
pleased ;  but  that  he  must  never  expect  to  see  his 
sovereign  and  his  father.  This  menace  had  no  effect 
upon  the  Prince,  who  answered  that  he  was  going 
to  retire  to  the  Netherlands,  of  which  Spain  had  of- 
fered him  the  government.     The  King  was  highly 


194  THE  LIFE  OF 

exasperated  and  had  thoughts  of  punishing  him ;  his 
punishment  had  already  begam,  for  the  couriers 
dared  not  visit  him  and  even  his  friends  forsook  him. 
The  Jesuit  Vota  and  the  Venetian  Kesident,  both  of 
them  eloquent  and  insinuating,  endeavored  in  a  pri- 
vate conference  to  convince  him  of  the  weakness  of 
his  jealousy  against  his  brother  whose  tender  age 
entitled  him  to  a  few  empty  caresses ;  of  the  injustice 
of  his  suspicions  with  regard  to  the  succession  to  the 
crown ;  and  of  the  enormity  and  the  danger  of  rebel- 
ling against  his  father  and  King.  They  prevailed 
upon  him  to  ask  pardon  and  told  him  that  he  would 
be  very  happy  if  he  could  obtain  it.  The  Prince, 
therefore,  went  to  the  army  to  throw  himself  at  the 
King's  feet.  The  father  soon  forgave  him  and  per- 
mitted him  to  share  the  laurels  which  he  expected  to 
gather  at  this  campaign.  It  was  an  affecting  sight 
to  see  the  hero  between  his  two  sons,  one  restored  to 
favor  and  already  inured  to  arms;  the  other  already 
beloved  and  going  to  learn  the  way  to  conquest  and 
all  three  marching  against  the  enemies  of  their  coun- 
try. The  Queen  and  the  Princess  of  Poland  stayed 
behind  upon  the  frontier  and,  womanlike,  concealed 
their  mutual  aversion. 

It  was  resolved  in  the  council  of  war  held  by  the 
Poles  to  enter  Walachia,  as  the  siege  of  Kamieniec 
still  appeared  impracticable  with  their  present  forces, 
to  make  themselves  masters  by  the  way  of  Soroc,  a 


KING  JOHX  SOBIESKI  195 

Turkish  fortress  upon  the  Niester.  In  effect,  Soroc 
and  Nerzecum  were  all  the  fruit  of  the  campaign. 
The  vast  quantity  of  snow  which  fell  uncommonly 
early,  froze  the  soldiers,  broke  up  the  roads,  embar- 
rassed the  artilleiy  and  the  wagons,  and  fatigued 
both  men  and  horses.  When  the  Polish  army  ar- 
rived upon  the  frontiers  of  the  kingdom  they  looked 
as  if  they  had  come  from  a  defeat.  This  was  the 
fourth  time  that  the  King  failed  in  his  attempts  upon 
Moldavia  and  Walachia,  and  the  Emperor  Txiopold 
wanted  but  little  of  being  equally  or  more  unfortu- 
nate in  Hungary. 

This  campaign  was  the  last  that  the  King  of 
Poland  ever  made.  It  was  not  his  advanced  age  that 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  retire  (for  he  was  only 
sixty-one),  but  forty  years  spent  in  war,  during 
which  he  never  spared  his  own  person;  ten  in  the 
great  offices  of  the  Kepublic;  eighteen  upon  a  throne 
which  required  constant  action ;  all  these  labors  had 
worn  out  his  body  and  his  mind  felt  the  effects  of  it. 
He  resigned  the  command  of  the  army  to  the  Grand- 
General  Jablonowski,  in  order  to  apply  himself 
wholly  to  the  internal  administration  of  the  kingdom, 
and  even  this  was  above  his  strength.  He  was  in 
the  ambiguous  situation  of  being  too  far  gone  to 
govern  himself  and  not  far  enough  to  be  wholly 
governed  by  others. 


CHAPTEE  XXII 

THE  time  drew  near  when  the  King  of 
Poland  was  to  end  his  reign,  his  life,  and 
his  sufferings.  It  was  now  four  years 
since  he  had  given  up  the  command  of  the 
army;  he  had  lately  quitted  the  frontier,  where  his 
presence  kept  the  enemy  in  awe,  and  fixed  his  resi- 
dence at  Warsaw  on  account  of  his  health.  He 
labored  at  the  same  time  under  the  effects  of  his  old 
wounds,  the  gout,  the  gravel,  many  symptoms  of  the 
dropsy,  and  a  gTeat  difficulty  of  breathing;  and  it 
was  uncertain  by  which  he  would  fall.  He  daily 
lost  some  portion  of  that  ethereal  fire  which  ani- 
mates the  human  frame ;  nor  could  the  furs  in  which 
he  lay  wrapped  upon  the  couch  restore  him  either 
motion  or  spirits. 

The  Turks  and  Tartars  had  some  knowledge  of  his 
condition,  but  they  considered  him  as  a  lion,  to  whom 
the  other  animals  showed  respect,  even  when  he  is 
asleep.  They  attempted  nothing  of  importance^  at  a 
time  when  they  might  have  done  what  they  pleased ; 
only  a  few  Tartars  made  their  incursions  which  were 
restrained  by  the  Grand-General  Jablonowski. 
A  circumstance  still  more  extraordinary  is  that 

the  King's  illness  contributed  also  to  save  the  nation 

196 


KING  JOHX  SOBIESKI  197 

from  its  own  madness.  Being  just  upon  the  point 
of  losing  him,  its  attention  was  more  taken  up  \dth 
the  thoughts  of  a  future  leader  than  with  the  divi- 
sions that  had  disturbed  its  |)eace  for  the  three  last 
years.  They  who  carried  their  views  beyond  their 
own  country  were  divided  between  the  Electors  of 
Bavaria  and  Saxony  and  the  Prince  of  Conti.  They 
wlio  were  iov  choosing  at  home,  mentioned  Joblon- 
owski  or  Konski ;  the  partisans  of  the  present  royal 
family  talked  of  Prince  James  or  Prince  Alexander. 
The  King,  in  the  few  easy  moments  that  his  disease 
left  him,  had  a  prospect  of  nothing  but  misfortunes; 
his  kingdom  disturbed  by  factions  within,  and  at- 
tacked by  enemies  without;  the  crown,  which  he  had 
gained  by  merit  and  worn  with  glory,  just  going  to 
become  a  prey  to  factions ;  uncertain  whether  it  would 
continue  in  his  family,  and  that  family,  by  separat- 
ing into  different  interests,  completing  the  anxieties 
of  his  mind.  Ii^  this  situation  he  gave  up  everything 
to  fortune,  and,  next  to  the  consolations  of  religion, 
had  recourse  to  letters  and  philosophy  for  mitigating 
the  evils  he  felt. 

During  the  whole  winter  of  1G96  weekly  reports 
of  his  death  were  spread  over  Europe  and  Asia.  At 
the  approach  of  spring  the  increasing  warmth  of  the 
sun  seemed  to  revive  in  him  a  few  s])arks  of  life,  and 
he  went  to  his  fine  gardens  at  Villanow  to  breathe  a 
})urer  air,  but,  alas!  he  was  too  far  gone  to  enjoy  it. 


198  THE  LIFE  OF 

On  the  17th  day  of  June,  being  Sunday,  the  King 
took  a  walk  in  his  garden  at  Villanow.  He  even 
dined  with  some  appetite,  and  showed  other  symp- 
toms of  being  better ;  but  death  was  busy  within  him 
all  the  while.  A  few  hours  after  he  was  seized  with 
a  fit  of  apoplexy,  in  the  midst  of  the  royal  family, 
and  fell  motionless  upon  the  floor.  In  about  an  hour 
he  recovered  his  senses,  and,  regretting  as  it  were, 
being  waked  out  of  this  sleep  of  death,  in  which  he 
was  insensible  of  the  miseries  of  life,  he  said  in  a 
language  that  w^as  familiar  to  him,  "  Stave  bena  " — 
I  w^as  well.  Every  face  but  his  o^vn  was  frozen  with 
terror.  He  bore  his  sufferings  with  the  firmness  of 
a  soldier,  a  philosopher  and  a  Christian;  and  em- 
ployed his  last  moments  in  endeavoring  to  convince 
his  children  of  the  necessity  of  their  living  in  the 
closest  union.  He  conjured  the  Queen  to  have  no 
other  interest  in  view  but  theirs,  if  she  desired  to 
preserve  the  crown  in  her  family,  recommending 
them  all  to  follow  the  advice  of  Polignac  who  had 
merited,  he  said,  their  confidence  and  his.  He  ex- 
horted also  the  Senators  w^ho  were  present  to  preserve 
mutual  concord  for  the  good  of  the  Eepublic,  whose 
welfare  would  be  an  object  of  his  wishes,  even  in  the 
presence  of  the  gi'eat  source  of  all  power,  before 
whom  he  should  so  soon  appear;  and  he  died,  like 
Augustus,  on  the  same  day  of  the  year  that  he  was 
raised  to  the  throne,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his 


KIXG  JOHN  SOBIESKI  199 

age,  and  the  twenty-third  of  his  reign. 

Those  who  lulled  and  those  who  envied  the  King 
of  Poland  gave  him,  even  before  his  death,  the  name 
of  Vespasian.  If  he  had  one  of  the  Emperor's 
faults,  the  love  of  money,  he  was  also  possessed  of  his 
virtues.  Like  him,  he  was  raised  to  the  throne  by 
his  military  services.  The  charms  of  his  wit,  the 
readiness  with  which  he  spoke  several  languages,  his 
acquaintance  with  polite  literature,  the  agreeableness 
of  his  conversation,  the  gentleness  of  his  manners, 
his  sincerity  in  friendship,  his  conjugal  tenderness 
and  paternal  affection  —  all  these  qualities,  which 
would  have  made  him  an  amiable  man  in  private  life, 
would  have  been  sufficient  for  his  exalted  station. 
Endued  with  great  strength  of  body  and  activity  of 
mind,  deeply  read  in  the  laws  of  his  country,  ac- 
quainted with  the  interest  of  foreign  nations,  and 
versed  in  the  theory  of  war,  equally  eloquent  in  the 
Diet  and  enterprising  in  the  field,  he  convinced  his 
countrymen,  before  he  was  raised  to  the  throne,  of 
his  capacity  to  govern  and  defend  them.  He  pos- 
sessed, in  an  eminent  degree,  most  of  the  virtues  that 
become  a  royal  station.  lie  did  justice  to  his  ene- 
mies, as  well  as  to  his  friends ;  and  always  behaved 
to  the  latter  in  the  same  manner  as  when  he  wanted 
their  assistance  to  gain  the  crown.  The  warmth  of 
liis  temper  made  him  soon  take  fire;  but  his  heart 
was  void  of  malice.     His  cruelty  to  the  Turks,  after 


200  THE  LIFE  OF 

a  victory,  must  be  attributed  to  a  remnant  of  the 
crusading  spirit,  which,  upon  these  occasions,  and 
these  only,  soured  the  natural  humanity  of  his  tem- 
per, which  was  not  sufficiently  matured  by  philoso- 
phy. He  was  often  affronted  in  such  a  state  as 
Poland,  where  liberty  is  always  upon  the  watch 
against  the  hand  that  governs ;  and  yet  he  never  lifted 
up  that  hand  but  against  those  who  offended  their 
country.  His  zeal  for  religion  was  free  from  the 
acrimony  of  an  intolerating  spirit;  Greeks,  Protes- 
tants, Jews,  and  some  remains  of  the  Socinians, 
lived  in  peace  under  his  government;  and  this  was 
no  small  matter,  at  a  time  when  other  Catholic  pow- 
ers were  banishing  or  massacring  their  subjects  in 
order  to  convert  them.  The  dignity  of  a  king  did 
not  obliterate  from  his  mind  the  principles  of  a  citi- 
zen, and  he  assembled  the  nation  much  oftener  than 
any  of  his  predecessors.  He  spent  his  reign  in  the 
Senate,  in  the  midst  of  Diets,  and  in  the  fatigues  of 
war;  he  never  thought  that  the  palace  of  a  king 
should  be  appropriated  to  magnificence  and  luxury; 
but  made  himself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  men 
and  things.  In  concerting  the  plan  of  his  campaigns, 
he  listened  to  every  one,  but  was  determined  by  him- 
self alone,  and,  knowing  how  necessary  the  presence 
of  a  king  is,  for  the  purpose  of  discipline,  celerity 
and  even  victory,  he  always  headed  his  troops  in 
person  till  the  ill  condition  of  his  health  prevented 


KING  JOHJ^  SOBIESKI  201 

him.  His  country  always  admired,  and  would  per- 
haps have  loved  him,  if  a  free  people  were  not  always 
jealous  of  their  liberty;  perhaps,  too,  if  he  had  been 
less  fond  of  the  Queen.  He  had  the  singular  glory 
of  humbling  the  Ottoman  power,  which  for  a  long 
time  had  hnmblod  the  Princes  of  Christendom.  All 
Europe  sought  liis  alliance,  and  Poland  acquired  an 
importance  under  his  government  that  it  never  pos- 
sessed afterwards.  Charles  XII,  the  Alexander  of 
the  North,  lamented  his  death  in  these  emphatic 
terms:     "  So  great  a  king  ought  never  to  have  died." 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


AM 

7-4  4.-- 


JUN  8     i^a?^-^ 

BitNEWAt   JAN  8 

CFC  4      1933 

i\  L  U  _  .       u.  |J 

M^'^  L  D  -  U  i^  L 

JAW     B^^^ 

^  JAN  2  5  V339 

JUN  6     ^^ 

MAR  1  0  195S 
APR  9     ^^^^ 

Form  L-9-3.5m-8,'28 


W^  t^-TO 


PM 

-,^  to 


MAV  1  0  1971 


CD-URI 
^  AUG  29  t^ 

mC    81972 


UC  SOUTHIHN  RU.IUNAL  LlHHAHV  I  ACILII  r^ 


AA    000  744  119    9 


III  11  III!  ill  II  lllillnmii  II,,,, 


3  1158  00904  3323 


i: 


PLEA^ij:  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
THIS  BOOK  CARD  i 


< 


University  Research  Library 


O 

A 

I 


